


for better or for worse

by SpacemanSpiff7



Category: Tiny Meat Gang (Band)
Genre: (which is the best kind of cuddling), Accidental Cuddling, Alternate Universe - Office, Consent is Sexy, Drinking, Fake Marriage, Fake Wedding, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, First Real Kiss, Happy Ending, Kelsey and Aleena are EXTREMELY chaotic, M/M, Making Out, Sexual Tension, Sharing a Bed, Sleeping Together (Literally), Slow Burn, The Proposal AU, Wedding, awkward first kiss, cody gets jealousssss, fake honeymoon, fake honeymoon that becomes a real honeymoon, ft the bad habit song noel played on his stream, i was kidding...unless?, noel is a struggling musician, romantically putting ties on each other before their wedding but like in a friend way, shitload of inside jokes for tmg fans, we’ll just take our hoodies off (silence)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25947223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpacemanSpiff7/pseuds/SpacemanSpiff7
Summary: Cody is an executive at a record label and Noel is his personal assistant. When Cody is threatened with deportation back to Canada, he does the only thing he can think to do: he says he’s engaged to Noel in order to obtain United States citizenship.Inspired by the movie The Proposal.
Relationships: Aleena (Tiny Meat Gang)/Kelsey Kreppel, Cody Ko/Noel Miller
Comments: 48
Kudos: 162





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I stole the basic premise as well as many scenes directly from the movie the Proposal. Also, I don’t know shit about US immigration, I’m literally just going off a movie. Don’t take this seriously. ALSO, I don’t actually ship this pair (I don’t think anyone does) and respect their relationships in real life; please don’t send this to anyone TMG affiliated. IN CONCLUSION, I am sorry. Enjoy!

Cody Kolodziejzyk wakes up to the sound of his alarm. Like he always does. It used to play Blackbear each morning. It’s funny, though, how when you wake up to a song, you start to despise it. So he switched it to a regular alarm, and now he wakes up to a steady _beep, beep, beep,_ every single day, and in a way, that’s fitting. 

Despite the fact he wakes up extra early, he’s always in a rush. Can’t stop himself. He dashes to the bathroom and then to the kitchen, grabbing nothing more than a bottle of kombucha, despite the fact he has time to sit down. On instinct, he almost grabs his headphones while running out the door. Yeah, maybe past Cody would listen to music on the walk to work, but not anymore. Instead, he’s on the phone, calling Spock again - or, more accurately, his manager. 

“Talk to me,” answers the representative.

“Sam,” Cody greets dryly, slamming open the door of his apartment complex. He ignores the doorman’s friendly “hello” and enters the windy street. His wool overcoat flies out behind him as he storms towards his office, and he bumps into multiple pedestrians as he swerves to avoid puddles and protect his dress shoes. “Can I get Spock on the phone this time? We’re his fucking record label, he should be talking to us. Not sending his fuckin’ lawyer.” 

“I’ve told you, man. I’m not a lawyer.”

“I don’t care.” 

Sam sighs. “Can you hold?”

“Can I _hold?_ I can’t remember the last time someone asked me to fucking hold. Yeah, sure, I’ll hold. But not for long,” He clenches his fist as he continues walking, straightening his tie with one hand and hovering his finger over the “end call” button with the other. 

It’s only a few minutes until Sam returns to the call, but Cody feels angry enough to burst. “Well?” He ignores the “Don’t Walk” sign and crosses the road, speaking over the honks of the angry motorists. He flips them off. “This better be good, Shots.” 

“Spock says he’s not talking to you guys anymore.” 

“Wait, what the fuck? Why?” Cody turns the corner, the looming BTR building already coming into view. “His album is dropping in a month and he’s not talking to the label?” 

“Yeah, well, apparently something happened.” 

“What happened?” 

“He talked to another one of your guys, someone with a real weird name—” 

“Fucking Blayze,” Cody groans as he passes through the revolving doors. 

“Yeah, Blayze.” 

“One sec, Sam, I’m in the lobby, these people won’t fucking _shut up,_ I can’t hear you.” He flashes his ID at the guard and enters the executive-only elevator. “What was that?” 

“Yeah, it was Blayze.” 

“Well, what the fuck did Blayze say?” 

“Apparently, he told Spock to cut his hair.” 

“What?!” 

“As, like, a marketing gimmick ahead of the album drop.” 

“I’ll fire him for this,” Cody growls, grinding his teeth. “I’ve fired people for much less.” Working with these artists is like working with toddlers sometimes, but his staff is even worse. The elevator dings open. “Tell Spock I’ll expect him to answer the phone next time, or I’ll fuck him up. Gotta go.” He hangs up without waiting for a confirmation and enters the floor. 

As Cody passes through the cubicles on the way to his corner office, the dozens of employees scatter out of his way, abruptly ending their casual conversations and running to their computers. Cody used to be offended by this, but not anymore. He’s not the “cool” boss that he said he would be. Instead, he barrels through the hallways, letting them freeze up and stand against the wall as he passes, almost like soldiers standing at attention. 

“Get to work, asswipes,” Cody shouts as parting words to his employees before he enters his office. “I’m not paying you to jerk off. And where the _fuck_ is Noel?” 

~

Noel Miller wakes up to the sun beaming in his face. He covers his face with the comforter, groaning at the sunlight, before remembering: _Oh shit._

In the next instant, he rockets out of bed. No time to shower or even brush his teeth. Instead, he just scrambles to get dressed and runs out the door. 

“Late again, Noel?” tuts his neighbor as he dashes into the hallway. She’s standing in front of her apartment, struggling to open the door while balancing bags of groceries. 

Noel screeches to a halt, his politeness getting the best of him. “Well, you know me, Mrs. Tatro.” He opens the door for her and stands to the side. “I’ll be on time to my funeral, but that’s it.” 

“Have a nice day, honey,” she calls as he resumes running down the hallway. “And your fly is down.” 

“Thanks, Mrs. Tatro!” He shouts, zipping it up while he starts going down the staircase. 

It would be easy if he could just run straight to work. He would be a few minutes late, maybe just five, which is good for him. But he can’t. As always, he has to dash to the nearby Starbucks before anything else. 

The door makes a cheery _ding_ as he enters the cafe. He groans upon seeing the line - it’s miles long - but as soon as he takes his place at the back of it, his usual barista waves for him to come forward to the pick-up counter. 

“Noel! I got your usual.” She smiles and holds up two drinks. 

“Evonne, you’re a lifesaver,” Noel says, handing her a twenty. “Keep the change.” 

He’s already halfway out the door when she calls out behind him: “Make sure to read your cup!” 

Running through the streets of a crowded city while carrying coffee in both hands isn’t an easy task, but with plenty of “excuse mes,” “pleases,” and “pardons,” Noel manages. He’s at the BTR building in five minutes flat, panting as he slows down to show the guard his ID. 

“Noel,” the guard says, reading the card. “You’re Kolodziejzyk’s assistant?” 

“That’s me,” Noel says, smiling. 

“He looked pissed this morning.” 

“He looks pissed every morning.” 

“Why don’t you take the executive elevator?” The guard says, stepping to the side and gesturing down the smaller hallway. “I think he needs that coffee ASAP.” 

“Thanks…” Noel searches for his nametag. “Aldis.” He smiles and starts to turn. 

“Hold up,” the guard calls. “There’s a code to use it. Here, I’ll write it down.” He grabs a sticky note from his pocket and begins scribbling.

“Here, stick it to my cup,” Noel says, holding out the drink. “Hands are full.”

The guard presses the note into the cup and smiles at Noel. “You better hurry.” 

“I will,” Noel says, turning towards the hallway. “And thanks again.” 

“No problem.” Noel’s spamming the “door close” when Aldis shouts: “Make sure to read that whole thing!” 

Noel’s so preoccupied by the meaning of that statement that he’s not looking when he runs out onto the floor. He immediately smacks into someone, spilling one of the drinks down his jacket. 

“Ah! What the fuck!” The girl looks down at her own clothes - essentially untouched - before looking upwards. “Oh, shit, _Noel!_ It’s all over you—” 

“Aleena!” Noel recognizes his friend and begins frantically apologizing. “I’m so sorry!” He starts dusting off her clean jacket with his free hand. “I didn’t see you, I’m so—”

“Don’t be sorry, Noel, you spilled it all over _yourself,_ not me!” She sets down the papers she was holding and picks up a box of kleenexes, attempting to mop up some of the spill. 

“Oh, no, it’s no use—” Noel stops her frantic cleaning by grabbing her by the wrists. As he does so, he looks at her sleeves - which happen to be the exact same color as his own. 

She sees the weird look on his face and glances down, then back up. “Oh, fuck no.” 

“Oh, fuck _yes,_ ” Noel says, already setting the intact drink on the ground and taking off his suit jacket. “Please.” 

“Noel, I’m not trading jackets with you!” 

“Please!” 

“What’s in it for me?” She crosses her arms and looks at him defiantly. 

“Um…” he taps his foot, thinking. “I’ll give you one of my Post Malone tickets. I’ve got two.” 

Aleena is unimpressed. “Kels and I already have tickets to that concert. Do better.” 

“I have better seats than you, though,” Noel pipes up. “Third row. We could trade.” 

She thinks for a moment, then sighs, slipping the jacket off her shoulders. “You’re so lucky we’re the same size.” 

“Being a short king pays off sometimes,” jokes Noel. He picks the coffee up off the floor and resumes running down the hallway. “Wish me luck!” 

“Good luck!” Aleena shakes her head. “You’ll need it!” 

Noel knocks on the door before entering. Cody’s gruff voice carries through the wood: “Noel, that better be you.” 

“It is,” Noel says, pushing it open with his hip. “Sorry I’m late.” 

Cody mumbles something angrily, barely paying attention as he types on his computer. Noel sets the drink on his desk then backs up. 

The second Cody takes a sip, he gags. “Ugh! What the fuck is this?” 

“Um…” Noel nervously fiddles with his sleeves, which are a little too short. “Your coffee.” 

“This is barely coffee, this is sugary milk. Seriously, what is this?” He looks at the cup, searching for a label. 

Noel is intimidated, as always, by his boss, but he decides to speak up anyway. “An iced caramel macchiato,” he says softly. 

“That’s not what it says here,” Cody comments with a dark chuckle.

“Huh?” Noel stands on his tiptoes, trying to see what he’s reading. 

“It says ‘Call me, 555-0110, Evonne.’” He’s right - next to the drink label, the barista has written a little note surrounded by hearts. Noel’s already thoroughly embarrassed by that, but then Cody rotates the drink in his hand, revealing the sticky note Aldis stuck there. “And what’s this?” 

Noel taps his feet nervously. “It’s just the code for the executive elevator—” 

“But underneath that.” 

“Um—I don’t—” 

“ _Another_ phone number?” Cody rolls his eyes, reading the note in a mocking voice. “‘Hey cutie, let’s hang out sometime, Aldis.’ _Aldis?_ ” 

“Oh, shit,” Noel mumbles, shutting his eyes. “Yeah, that cup was supposed to be mine.” 

Cody glares up at him, tapping his fingers. “Well, what happened to _my_ drink, then?” 

“I—um, I spilled it.” 

“That explains why you’re wearing a fucking women’s jacket,” Cody spits, gesturing wildly. “Goes well with your girly drink.” 

Noel decides he doesn’t have the time to explain that there’s no such thing as a “girly drink.” He just wants to _move on_ from this conversation. “Let’s go over your schedule.” 

“Oh, now that I’m interrogating you about being late because you were busy flirting with everyone in thie fucking city, you actually want to work?” Cody laughs a fuckboy laugh and puts his feet on his desk. “That’s new.” 

Noel grinds his teeth, doing his best to ignore him. “At 9:00 you have a board meeting…” 

“Yeah, that’s gonna have to wait.” 

“What? Why?” 

“We’re firing Blayze this morning.” 

“What?!” 

“Yep. Boy, I’ve been waiting for this day. That fuckass had it coming.” 

“What did he do?” 

“What _didn’t_ he do?” Cody begins, distracted by the new topic. “He’s been a disaster since day one. Always trying to get the artists to do the absolute dumbest shit, saying it’s good for publicity. He’s the one who suggested Rynx get in a fistfight in Times Square to promote his single, which makes no fuckin’ sense. There’s a reason they promoted me and not him. I’m not an incompetent dumbass.” 

Noel holds back a scoff. 

“Anyway, we should get that done. Now.” 

“Fine. Do you want me…” 

“Do I want you there?” Cody laughs as he stands up. “You’ll find a way to fuck it up somehow. Just wait here.” 

Noel’s so used to working with Cody that he doesn’t even defend himself. He steps aside so Cody can walk briskly out of the office, waits a few seconds to make sure he’s not coming back, and takes a seat in his chair. 

It’s a nice chair. It makes Noel feel important. He swivels around, takes in the view from the glass wall. He takes a sip of the macchiato (he might as well, if Cody’s not gonna drink it), tries to guess Cody’s computer password a couple of times, and examines the single framed photo on his desk. Most people would put a photo of their friends or family on their work desk, but Cody has a framed picture of himself in college from when he was on the swim team. Noel finds it hilarious. And a little sad. 

After a few minutes, he decides to call his roommate. She answers on the first ring. 

“Yo Noel, what’s up?” Hearing Kelsey’s sing-song voice calms him down. 

“How’s work?” 

“You seriously trying to make small talk right now?” Laughs Kelsey on the other line. “I teach preschool. Work is a zoo. It always is.” 

Noel puts his feet on the desk. “Wait, how could you even answer the phone?” 

“You caught me at a good time. My co-teacher sent me on a few errands during naptime because _someone_ spilled all the finger paint.” 

Noel laughs. “Was it Elon again?” 

“Yeah. That kid is a little monster. The rest of them are so sweet.” She yawns, and the sounds of traffic drone on in the background. “But it’s nothing compared to what you have to deal with. How’s Chodey this morning?” 

“Awful.” Noel rubs his eyes, exhausted. “He’s awful every day. Today he made fun of me for my Starbucks order—”

“What about your jacket?” 

“Wh—who told?” 

Kelsey laughs. “Aleena texted me the second it happened. It’s hilarious to me that you were matching.” 

“To answer your question, yes, he made fun of the jacket. He gets to fire someone today, so you’d _think_ that would make him happy, but he’s just as shitty as ever. Fuck, I hate that man.” 

“Get in line. Aleena complains about him every single day. I’m getting tired of hearing it.” 

“But there’s a new shitty story about him every day. We have to tell you, it’s our only form of catharsis.” 

“I’m a teacher, Noel, not a therapist.” 

“I know.” 

“Have you played him any of your demos yet?” 

Noel sighs. “No, not yet.” 

“Noel, you’ve been his assistant for _two years._ Two! If you don’t show him your demos, then what’s the point?”

Noel rubs his eyes. “What if they’re not that good?” 

“Not that good?!” Kelsey laughs, finding the concept ridiculous. “Noel, stop being modest.” 

“You don’t get it, Kels,” Noel groans, planting his feet on the ground. “Cody is incredibly intimidating. He’s a piece of shit. I’m not just gonna get all vulnerable in front of him or grovel at his feet or something—’oh, um, um, excuse me, Mr. Ko, sir but would you listen to my song, pwease? My roommate’s said it’s really good.’” Noel says it in a babyish, high-pitched voice. 

His joke doesn’t land. Kelsey sounds stern. “I’m being serious. If you don’t bite the bullet and show him a song soon, it’s time to start looking for another job.” 

Noel knows she’s right, but he doesn’t want to say it. Luckily for him, there seems to be a commotion growing outside. Noel can hear two voices talking, growing louder and louder as their conversation grows more intense. He recognizes one of them as Cody’s. 

“Oh, fuck, Kels, one sec,” Noel says, covering the receiver. He listens as best he can:

“I was going to quit sometime anyways!” 

“Yeah, sure you were, Blayze.”

“No, fucker, I was. Because of _you._ ”

“What’s going on, Noel?” Kelsey asks, concern growing in her voice. “Is that Chodey’s voice?” 

“Um, I’ll—I’ll call you back.” Noel hangs up the phone and dashes to the door, creaking it open to witness the fight.

The rest of the employees are sitting in stunned silence as Cody, looking unbothered, continues making his way back to his office. Behind him is Blayze, waving an accusatory finger and screaming.

“Because you’re not in it for the music anymore, man! I remember when we first started working here, and all you wanted was to help out struggling artists, create careers, and now all you do is swindle money out of people! You’re a _dick,_ you know that?!” 

Cody shoves his hands in his pockets and says nothing. 

“And it’s not just me! _Everyone_ hates you! _As they should!_ ” 

Cody brushes past Noel, whispering in his ear: “Call security.”

Noel walks briskly to the phone as Cody leans against the wall. He tries to read his face - is he offended by what Blazye? It doesn’t look like it, but Cody’s good at acting. Noel finishes dialing the phone and listens to it ring. 

“Security,” answers the voice. Noel recognizes it to be Aldis. 

“We’ve got a commotion on the 37th floor. We need someone to escort a recently fired employee out.” 

“We’re on it.” The line clicks. 

Noel looks up. “You good, man?” he says on instinct, but he immediately regrets it. 

“Yeah, I’m _good,_ ” Cody snaps. He wipes his nose with his sleeve, and Noel reads into the gesture. “Just—let’s fuckin’ get to work.” He storms to his desk, shouldering Noel out of the way and sitting in his chair. 

Noel feels his phone buzz. It’s a text from Aleena. 

_you see that shit???_

_yeah, wtf,_ Noel responds quickly. 

_blayze was making some points tho_

Noel puts it back in his pocket and glances at Cody. 

Cody glares back. “What are you looking at?” 

“Oh, nothing, I—” In that moment, the phone rings. 

“What the fuck is it now?” Cody groans, answering it gruffly. “Hello?” 

His look of anger melts into a look of concern as the person on the other line talks. Noel looks up curiously, watching Cody stutter out a few “of courses” and “yes, sirs” before hanging it up. 

“What’s up?” Noel asks, hoping Cody doesn’t snap again. 

“I’ve...been called upstairs.” 

“Oh.” Noel realizes what this means. “ _Oh._ ” 

“Yeah.” Cody stands up and dusts off his pants. “Um, to Devon’s office.” 

“Woah.”

“Yeah. Um...okay.” Cody’s nervous aura lasts for only a second more, and suddenly he’s all business again. “Take my calls while I’m gone. Interrupt only if it’s necessary.” He walks out of the office, but glances at Noel one last time before leaving. “Um...see you, I guess.” 

The door shuts. “See you,” Noel whispers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you got all the real bros of simi valley references then u get 10 points


	2. Chapter 2

_What the fuck does Devon want with me?_ Cody thinks as he darts towards the elevator. His first instinct was that it had something to do with the Blayze situation, but something about the way Devon was on the phone made him think it was something else. He seemed...worried. Nervous. Is he being fired? 

Cody takes the elevator one flight up. It’s the only floor in the whole building with offices nicer than his. He’d be lying if he said the sight of these corner offices didn’t make him jealous. 

Devon and his right-hand man, Marcus, are waiting for him when Cody pushes open the heavy door. The room is posh and well-furnished, and a large window with a view of the cityscape brings light into the otherwise foreboding space. 

“Hey, Cody,” Marcus greets. He’s sitting on Devon’s gigantic desk, obviously trying to appear casual, and Devon’s in the chair, shuffling through papers. “Take a seat.” 

“Thanks,” Cody says, sitting across from the pair. Neither of them say anything for a while. They just look at him, calculating. 

“So…” Cody opens awkwardly. “Is there a reason you called me in here?” 

Devon sits forward and glances at Marcus. “Yes. Yes, there is. Cody, as you know, you’re not a US citizen.” 

“Yeah,” Cody says, looking between them. “I was born in Canada. But I’m applying for citizenship. Is...is something wrong?” 

“How often do you check your mail?” Marcus suddenly asks. 

“Um, daily, I guess,” Cody mumbles, “unless I forget, I suppose. What’s happening, fellas?” 

“It appears you may have missed a few important forms, a few important dates,” Devon explains, sympathy dotting his expression. “And it also appears that immigration caught wind of the fact that you went to Thailand when you technically weren’t supposed to.” 

“I _had_ to go, though,” Cody argues, voice weaker than intended. “Spock was gonna leave the label. Someone needed to talk to him in person. He’s our biggest artist, I couldn’t just let him leave BTR because he was seduced by another label while vacationing.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know, and we’re grateful you did that,” Devon says. “You’re a valuable employee to have on our side, Cody. I mean, everyone’s afraid of you, but that’s just how it has to be sometimes, to get respect. And, boy, do they respect you. I mean, you’re the only one who can keep some of these artists under control.” Marcus nods in agreement. “What I’m trying to say here, Cody, is that...this is really hard.” 

“What? What is it?” Cody is beginning to catch wind of what may be occurring here, but he doesn’t want to admit it. 

“You’re—you’re being deported back to Canada.” 

Cody’s mouth drops open. “What?!” 

“It’s out of our hands, Cody. We have to let you go.” 

Cody sputters for a moment, looking frantically between the two men. They look sympathetic, yet tense. “This can’t—I mean, you can’t—” 

“We thought about letting you stay on,” Devon explains. “Working remotely, from Canada. But that just won’t work. This job is so hands on. Dealing with and negotiating these contracts needs to be done in person. I’m sorry, Cody, I really am. But there’s nothing we can do.”

“But—I mean, who could even replace me?—” 

Marcus answers his question. “We’ll be promoting Blayze up to your position.” 

“ _Blayze?!_ ” Cody explodes. “No, you can’t, I just fired him a few minutes ago—” 

Devon holds up his hand. “I guess we’ll be hiring him back, then. He’s the only upper-level guy with the experience to do what you do. There’s truly no one else. Cody, I really am sorry.” 

“I can’t believe—this just can’t—” Cody’s mind is running through all of the possible ways he can get out of this situation, but none of them are plausible. He’s stuck. He knows it. If only there was _some_ way, some legal loophole— 

Suddenly, there’s a timid knock at the door. All three of their heads shoot up, staring at the source of the noise. 

“Come in,” Devon shouts, rubbing his temples. 

Cody recognizes the face immediately - it’s Noel. The nervous man pokes his head through the door, looking unkempt. “Hey, hi, um, I’m sorry, gentlemen, I just have a note for Mr. Ko—” 

Marcus cuts him off. “We’re kind of in the middle of—” 

“It’ll just be a second, I promise.” Noel steps into the room, staying close to the wall as he reads a note he’s written on his hand. “Um, Mr. Oliver called. A second ago. I told him you were otherwise engaged right now, but he wanted you to know that he’s gonna have to miss your lunch meeting today, and he proposed that, uh, that you have it tomorrow instead?” He looks up from his palm, waiting for some kind of response from Cody. 

Time seems to stop around Cody for a second as he looks at the disheveled man in front of him. Noel has abandoned the women’s suit jacket and is instead just in his dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his forearms. He looks nervous and shifty, clearly wanting to exit the room as soon as possible, and he’s shuffling his feet in a way that could almost be described as “cute.” Cody glances at Noel’s hands, swinging nervously at his sides, and examines his long, bony fingers. _No ring._ Hm. 

Cody doesn’t know that much about Noel. Despite the fact that he’s worked with him for years, he tries not to ask him personal questions or join him on the employee night outs. It’s better if they keep this professional. But both Evonne and Aldis left him their phone numbers. That means they’ve never seen him with a girlfriend. Which means he’s probably single. 

An idea pops into Cody’s head. He stands up abruptly, startling everyone in the room. All eyes turn to him. 

_Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Here goes nothing._

“Um...gentlemen!” Cody opens. “I believe we have something to tell you.” He turns to Noel briefly, fiercely mouthing _come here!_

 _Wh—what? Why?_ Noel mouths back, clueless. 

“Just _come here!_ ” Cody repeats in a low whisper. Noel stiffly walks next to his boss, drops of sweat appearing on his forehead. _What the fuck is going on?_

“This really isn’t the way we wanted to tell you this,” continues Cody in a strange voice. “But due to the circumstances, I believe there is no better time.” 

“Wh—” begins Noel, but Cody cuts him off by slipping his arm around his waist. Noel is too stunned to even move. _What the FUCK is going on?_

“But my assistant and I—um, Noel and I…” Cody looks at Noel with puppydog eyes, and Noel almost gags. “Are...engaged.” 

“We’re _WH—_ ” Noel begins loudly, but Cody quickly talks over him. 

“YUP! We’re engaged! I popped the question a few weeks ago, and we were just waiting to tell people, weren’t we, hon?” 

Noel stands there, mouth opening and closing like a fish. _WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?_ “I, um, I…” 

“Shh…” Cody hisses out of the corner of his mouth, plastering a fake smile onto his face. 

“You’re...engaged,” repeats Devon slowly. 

“Yep! Engaged!” Cody pulls Noel closer to his frame and keeps talking. “We dated for a year, though, before this, and we lived together for a few months during that. It was love at first sight. When he walked into that office, boy oh boy, I just knew!” Noel’s mind is blank throughout Cody’s sputtering. “I knew he’d be the man I’d marry. And he felt the same. Right, sweetie?” Noel doesn’t say anything. He glances at Cody, who gives him a look of pure death. He decides to nod quickly. 

“Huh,” Marcus murmurs slowly. “Um, what’s his name, again?” 

“Um...I’m...Noel?” Noel says. That’s one question he knows the answer to. 

“Noel,” Marcus says, standing up and strolling towards the pair. “Are you a US citizen?” 

“Um...um…” He feels Cody stomp on his foot, knocking his brain into place. “Uh, yes! Yeah, yes, I am.” 

“Hmm.” Devon hums low in this throat, staring intently at the pair. “You know, Cody, if you two are able to get your marriage finalized soon, Cody will become a citizen as well. He’d become a permanent resident of the United States.” 

“You mean like a...like a green card?” Noel says. The dots are connecting in his head. Cody’s being deported, and now he’s wrapped up in it.

“Well, yes.” Devon leans forward, tapping his fingers on the mahogany wood. “Unless, of course, this marriage is a sham.” 

“Oh, no!” Cody blurts. “It’s definitely not a sham. It may seem that way, I’m sure, but no, not at all. Noel and I, we’re...madly in love.” Noel quickly looks at Cody’s face, which is once again unreadable.

“I see.” Devon looks thoughtful. Cody gets the sense that he sees right through Cody’s facade - I mean, it’s pretty obvious. Cody is one of the straightest guys you’d ever meet, and him and Noel have always been nothing more than reluctant workplace associates. However, Devon knows that Cody’s the best guy they’ve got. And he knows that fucking _Blayze_ would never be able to do his job. So, so what if it’s a sham? He wants to keep his top guy, whatever the cost. “I guess...I guess congratulations are in order.” Devon smiles widely. 

“Oh, thank you,” gushes Cody in a voice that causes that queasy feeling to rush into Noel’s stomach. 

“Yeah, um, thanks.” Noel still isn’t 100% sure what’s going on, but something tells him he should play along. 

“No problem. This is happy news. For two reasons, of course.” Devon stands up, leaning against the desk. “So…” 

“So,” takes over Marcus. “Is there any way you could...speed up this process?” 

“Oh, yes, absolutely,” blurts Cody. “We were actually going to the immigration offices to get things settled...um…” 

“Today?” prompts Devon, giving him a hint. 

“Yes! Today!” Cody strokes Noel’s arm with one hand. Noel remains stiff as a board. “We just can’t wait for this to become real.” 

“Well then,” says Marcus. He smiles, too, crossing his arms. “Congratulations to the happy couple. And yes. You should finalize your marriage as soon as possible.” 

“Will, do, sir,” Cody says. He grabs Noel by the sleeve, dragging him out of the room. “We’ll be right on it.” They’re out the door in two seconds flat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> knocked out chapter 2 for ya💯


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> proposal fans will recognize A LOT of scenes from this chapter 😅

Once they enter the hallway, Cody pulls out his phone and begins texting nonchalantly. He even starts chewing on a stick of gum as they walk, barely looking up and certainly not noticing Noel’s bewildered expression. 

Noel’s following him out of habit, always a few steps behind, but he’s not thinking anything other than _Huh? What? Wait, huh?_ His mouth hangs open in a silent gasp and he drags his feet, struggling to process what just happened. 

Cody doesn’t even acknowledge him in the elevator. He just snaps his gum and scrolls through Twitter while Noel stares blankly ahead. 

Once they’re locked away in Cody’s office, Noel finely has the brain power to make a coherent sentence: “What the fuck?” 

Cody looks up from his computer, squinting at him. “What?” 

“Are we…” Noel sputters. “Are we not going to talk about what happened back there?” 

Cody yawns. “What’s there to talk about?” 

“Wh—! What’s there to talk about?! _Cody,_ ” Noel booms, daring to use his first name, “you just said we’re getting fucking _married!_ ” 

“Woah, Noel, calm down,” Cody says, laughing and holding up his hands. “Don’t get your dick in a knot about it. It’s not that big of a deal.” 

“ _Not that big of a deal?!_ ” Noel squeaks, sinking to the floor as he talks. “This would ruin my life! Marrying _you?!_ And not to mention the fact that this is a _crime!_ —” 

“Woah, woah, quiet,” Cody says, standing up and storming towards Noel. He offers his hand, which Noel tentatively takes, and he yanks him to his feet. However, Cody doesn’t let go of Noel’s forearm; instead, he pulls him in close, sweat sheening his forehead as he whispers menacingly at the cowering man. “It’s not a crime if you don’t get caught. And I am _not_ going to get caught.” He releases Noel’s arm and steps back, straightening his tie. “And besides. We can get a quickie divorce in a year or so and it’ll be like this never happened.” 

“C—er, sir, I hate to disagree with you on this—” 

“Then don’t,” Cody says harshly. His tone indicates that this conversation is over. With one last fierce look, Cody turns around and places a hand on his desk, overlooking the city skyline as he talks. “Now that that’s settled...it seems we have to make our way to the immigration offices soon. Can we fit that in?” 

“Um—” Noel grabs his clipboard, his hands shaky. “It looks like you’re free—er, after work.” 

“Well then. It’s a date.” 

Noel cringes. “Bad word choice.” 

“Or just the right word choice?” teases Cody. Noel doesn’t laugh. 

~

The room they’re seated in is cramped and dusty. Boxes upon boxes of files are strewn about every corner of the small space, and Cody and Noel are seated awkwardly in the plastic chairs in front of the large metal desk. 

The man in front of them pushes his glasses up his crooked nose and looks at the pair skeptically. 

“So,” he says, tapping his fingers. 

“So,” responds Cody happily. “You must be Mr. Sanders.” 

“That’s correct. And you must be…” 

“Cody,” he says, a big fake smile plastered on his face. Noel says nothing. 

“Cody. Mhmm.” He sighs and looks back and forth between them. “And you’re here to…” 

“Get my fiance visa filed,” Cody interrupts, still grinning. 

“Uh-huh. I see that.” The man scans the pile of papers in front of him slowly. 

“I can’t thank you enough for seeing us on such short notice,” Cody continues. He considers holding Noel’s hand but decides against it. “We just...didn’t want to wait any longer. We just couldn’t!” 

“Hm.” He glances at them over the papers. “Well. Everything seems to be in order. I just have one question to ask you.”

“Yes, of course,” says Cody politely. 

The man slams the papers onto the desk and looks up suddenly. “Are you both committing fraud to avoid Mr. Kolodziejzyk’s deportation back to Canada so he can keep his top-paid position at Backtrack Records?” 

Cody’s mouth falls open, feigning crippling shock. “ _What?_ That’s fuckin—er, freaking ridiculous! I can’t believe you would even say that!” Just out of sight, Cody stomps on Noel’s foot. 

“ _Ouch,_ um, yeah, that...that’s crazy,” stutters out Noel. 

Cody squints, realizing something. “Who gave you that idea?” 

Mr. Sanders thinks for a moment. “A guy with a funny name. Bryce?” 

“Blayze,” answers Cody, gritting his teeth in a pained smile. “You’ll have to excuse him. A disgruntled former employee who serves to benefit from my termination. Really, I can’t apologize enough. I mean, silly old me, or, us, taking up your time on a busy afternoon. I’m sure you’re eager to move on, do something else, so if you’ll just give us our next step, we’ll be out of your office and we can both go our happy ways.” 

The man sets down his glasses, staring at them with an intense sternness. Noel sinks into his seat while Cody remains composed, smiling blankly. 

“Let me explain to you what is about to happen, as you clearly both appear oblivious as all hell.” He leans forward menacingly. “There will be a scheduled interview. Early next week. No delaying. No time to study up. I will place you in ask you _every question_ a couple should know about one another. I’m not talking height or shoe size. I’m talking secrets. Embarrassments. Incredibly specific likes and dislikes. Family and friends and work and fears and regrets any other topic you can possibly imagine. Questions that any _real_ engaged couple would know about one another. The second your answers don’t line up, _you_ —” he turns to Cody— “will be deported indefinitely. And _you_ —” he turns to the sweating man beside him— “will have committed a felony punishable by fines and up to five years in federal prison.” He sits back in his chair and crosses his arms. “So. Noel, was it?” 

Noel swallows, then nods. 

Mr. Sanders smiles, and it’s sickly-sweet. “Is there _anything_ you want to tell me?"

Noel hesitates.

He clicks his pen, glaring. "Anything at all?” 

Cody stares at Noel with intent to kill. After a second or two, Noel clears his throat and straightens up in his seat. He takes a deep breath. “Mr. Sanders, the truth is…” 

“Yes?” prompts the man, leaning forward.

“Yes?” growls Cody, gripping on to the handle of the chairs like he’s on a rollercoaster. 

“The truth is...that…” Noel closes his eyes. “That Cody and I…” he opens them and smiles like he’s on daytime television. “...are just two lovers who were brought together and ultimately connected by fate.” 

Cody’s eyes go wide as Noel continues speaking. “Bumping into him that first day of work, sir, was nothing short of a miracle. The kind people pray to God will happen to them. In fact, _he_...” he turns to Cody, desperately trying to remember the acting tips he was taught in ninth grade drama. “ _He_ is a miracle. Without him, Mr. Sanders, I don’t know where I would be.” Noel stares at Cody for a moment longer when an idea pops into his head, which he runs with. “The only shame was, I couldn’t share it with anyone I worked with, or any of my friends.” 

“Yeah? Why’s that?” Mr. Sanders seems amused. 

“Well, because of the fact that Cody was about to help me sign on to Backtrack Records. And get my songs produced and released.” Noel turns to Cody and raises his eyebrows. 

Cody squints. He sees what’s happening. This is blackmail. Somehow, though, he respects the move. Cody nods solemnly and turns to the man. “That’s right. He’s got a lot of potential. He could be one of our biggest artists.” 

“But if he were to strike a deal with me while we were dating, they’d think that it was just because we’re a couple. Not because I’m, you know, incredibly talented. So we decided to keep it a secret for a while longer. Then, of course, this immigration thing came up, and we ran out of options.” 

“You’re a songwriter, huh?” says Mr. Sanders. “Name one of your songs.” 

Cody seems nervous for a second. Is Noel actually a songwriter, or is he bluffing? However, Noel answers so swiftly that Cody realizes it must be true. 

“I’ve got a few in the works. I’m primarily a rapper. Woodworm is one of my older ones. Motor Yola is another one. But I’ve been experimenting with other genres as well, softer stuff. Bad Habit is one I’m working on now, and I’m especially proud of it.” 

Mr. Sanders nods. He seems to be buying the whole story. “Wow. Well, gentlemen. I have just one more question for you today, before your interview.” 

“Go ahead,” Noel says nonchalantly, feeling confident after the success of his blackmail. 

“Whose place are you staying at? I’m going to be checking in periodically. It’s a great way to verify these green card things, you know, to drop in and see if the place is actually shared and occupied by both residents.” 

Cody and Noel stumble to talk over one another. 

“Oh, we’re actually staying at—” 

“Easy question, we’re living at, um—” 

They both stop and stare at one another. When the silence grows too loud, Noel pipes in. “We can’t stay at my place. Or, he couldn’t move into my place. Because of my roommate. Kelsey. Um, former roommate, I guess.” 

“Right,” Cody says, nodding and quickly mouthing to Noel: _You have a roommate?_ “Um...yep. So it’s my place.” 

“I’ll need the address.”

“Oh, I’ll write it down.” Cody takes the notepad offered to him. 

Once Cody hands it back, the man leans back into his seat. “Well, then, gentlemen. That’ll be all for today. I will see you soon, at your home. And, I’ll be seeing you next week for the interview. We’ll work on scheduling that soon.” 

“Sounds wonderful,” chirps Cody, already standing up and tugging on Noel’s sleeve. “See you then.” 

~

They enter the busy street outside silently, walking with their hands in their pockets, avoiding eye contact at all costs as they make their way back to the office. 

It’s Cody who speaks first. 

“Nice move in there, Miller.” 

Noel looks straight ahead. “Oh?” 

“With the songs. The blackmail. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“I almost didn’t.” 

“Really?”

“I’d...I’d been wanting to bring it up with you forever. It's why I took the job. But I just...never found the time. And it’s not just a _move_. I expect you to do it. Or I’ll turn you in. I swear I will.” 

Cody thinks a while before he responds. “I didn’t know you wrote songs.” 

Noel presses on. He knows that he has the best bargaining chip the world has to offer, and he’s not about to give it up. “You _are_ gonna do it, right?” 

Cody scoffs. 

Noel stops at the curb, forcing Cody to stop as well. He stares at him head on. “ _Right?_ I’m looking at years in jail and a fine I definitely can’t pay. You can at least give me this for my troubles.” 

Cody sighs. “Noel, I can’t—” 

“Then I quit.” Noel turns on his heel and starts walking away. 

Cody’s eyes widen. “Noel, wait!” He starts trotting behind him, but Noel stays steadfast, walking down a less-busy street towards his apartment. “Hold up one second—” 

“It really has been great being your husband, sir. Sorry it had to end this way,” Noel jokes dryly, ignoring him. 

"Let's just talk about this—" 

"I'll see you in court," Noel says, picking up his pace.

“Noel, wait, Noel… _okay_! Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll release your songs. I’ll give you a fucking record deal."

Noel stops in his tracks. Cody stares at the back of his head, nervous and panting. 

"If...if we pass the interview, of course," he adds meekly. 

When Noel finally turns around, there’s a funny look in his eyes. He’s filled with a power that he’s never had before, and has gone straight to his head. “Ask me nicely.” 

Cody crosses his arms and glares at him. “What?” 

“I said, _ask me nicely._ ” 

“Ask you _what_ —” Noel raises his eyebrows and points to the sidewalk. “Oh. Oh, fuck you, Noel. I’m not gonna fucking do that.” 

“Well, that’s not very nice.” Noel starts to turn around again. 

“ _Wait_ —” Cody sighs. “Just...okay.” He takes a deep breath and gets down on one knee. 

Noel fake-gasps. “Oh, Cody! Here?” 

Cody rolls his eyes. “Noel.” 

Noel squeals and rushes forward, grabbing Cody’s hands. Cody’s never been more embarrassed. 

“Um…”

“Get on with it.”

Cody grits his teeth, then spits it out. “ _Willyoumarryme_.” He says it fast, like it’s one word. 

Now it’s Noel’s turn to roll his eyes. “No. No, I won’t. Not when you ask like that.” 

Cody groans, overly conscious of the fact that his nice pants have been on the disgusting concrete for way too long and that passerbys are giving them odd looks. “ _Fine_. Noel. Dearest Noel. My darling.” 

“Yes, sweetheart?” Noel coos. 

“My love, my will to live, my knight in shining armor.” 

“Mhmm?”

“Will you pretty please, with cherries and peanuts and whipped cream and...um…”

“Juul pods?” 

“...and juul pods on top, marry me?” 

Noel pretends to think for a moment. “Hmm. Okay, yeah, sure. If you insist.” 

Cody sighs. “Great. Now help me up.” He extends a hand. 

“Actually, I think I like you on your knees, _husband._ ” Noel smirks, crossing his arms. 

“Fuck you.” Cody struggles to his feet and dusts off his pants. By the time he looks up, Noel’s already halfway down the street.


	4. Chapter 4

“Stop running away from me!” Cody shouts as he scrambles to catch up with his suddenly confident assistant. “We still have things to figure out!” 

“I’m not running away, I’m _driving_ away,” responds Noel, placing his phone at his ear. 

“What the fuck does tha—” 

“Kelsey,” Noel says into the receiver. “Can you pick me up? I’m at the corner of—” 

“Wait, wait, wait!” Cody snatches the phone from Noel’s hands. 

“Woah, give that back—!” 

“You’re not going home,” snaps Cody. “What if the immigration guy shows up? You’re coming with _me._ ” 

“ _Is that Chodey?_ ” cracks Kelsey’s voice through the speaker. 

Cody puts the phone to his ear. “He’ll call you back,” he growls, hitting the _end call_ button. 

“Hey!” Noel grabs the phone back, scowling at Cody. “I had to let her know—” 

“You can’t tell her! You can’t tell anyone.” 

“Then how am I supposed to explain why I’m suddenly moving to my bosses’ place?!” 

“You can tell her we’re getting married, just not that it’s a green card! She’ll buy it, right?” 

Noel looks uncomfortable. “Um, no, I don’t think she will.” 

“What, she’ll be surprised I’m a dude?” 

“No, not that you’re a dude. That you’re...you.” 

Cody is taken aback. “What does that mean?” 

“Just that...nevermind. It doesn’t matter. She just won’t believe I married you. Never, in a million years.” 

“You’ll have to try,” Cody warns, his voice seething. 

“Fine.” Noel opens his phone, then looks up at Cody again. “Can I get some privacy?” 

Cody crosses his arms. “No. Put it on speaker.” 

“Fine,” Noel relents angrily. “But I’m not gonna apologize for what you’re about to hear.” 

“Don’t care.” 

Noel dials Kelsey’s number again, holding the phone at his chest as it rings. Cody leans in. 

“Noel!” answers Kelsey. “Why the fuck was Chodey on the phone? After work? Are you two hanging out or something? Aleena and I were just talking about that motherf—” 

“Hey, Kels,” Noel interrupts quickly. He can feel Cody’s judgemental eyes on him. “I’m gonna need you to pack up some of my clothes and shit for me, I’m moving out temporarily. For a few weeks, maybe, that’s it.” 

“ _What?_ Why? Where?” 

“I’ll text you the address. It’s on Carson Avenue.” 

“Carson Avenue?! That area is bougie as hell. Whose place is it?” 

“Um…” Noel looks up. 

Cody glares. “Tell her,” he whispers through his teeth. 

“Um...Chodey’s. I mean Cody’s. I mean my boss’s.” 

“ _WHAT?!_ ” Kelsey screams. Noel jumps. 

In the background of the call, Noel faintly hears Aleena’s voice: “What, Kels? What happened?” 

“Noel is moving into Chodey’s apartment!!” 

“ _WHAT?!_ ” Aleena screams in the exact same tone as Kelsey. 

“Okay, okay, enough, guys,” Noel says, exasperated. “It’s not that big of deal—” 

“YES IT IS! Aleena, get over here! You need to be on this call.” There’s some shuffling as Kelsey puts the phone on speaker. “Okay, okay. Noel. Why? Why are you doing this? Is he making you do this? Are you okay?” 

“Um...I’m...um…” he looks to Cody in a silent plea. Cody just raises his eyebrows. Noel gives in. “He’s...my fiance. We’re getting married.” 

There’s silence for a moment. Two moments. Noel know’s it’s the calm before the storm. 

Then, after what feels like forever, it hits. “ ** _WHAT?!!_** ” they screech in unison. Noel almost drops his phone. 

Then, they start talking at the same time. 

“Noel, if this is a joke, it’s not very funny, in fact, I’ll fucking kill you—!” 

“Please tell me you’re fucking with us, this can’t be real, please—!” 

“Guys, guys, wait,” Noel interrupts, and Cody mouths words at him that he can’t read, but he guesses the meaning. “It’s... not a joke. We’re getting married. I just couldn’t tell you until now. And we want to move in together.” 

“Noel…” Kelsey says carefully. “Are you...okay? I mean, you _hate_ —” 

“I’m perfectly fine,” Noel responds. “I just need you to pack up my stuff. I need to move in tonight.” 

“Wh—why the rush?” 

“Can’t explain. Gotta go. Bye.” He hangs up and lets out a gigantic sigh. 

“You too, huh?” comments Cody quietly. 

Noel looks at his shoes. “I told you that you wouldn’t want to hear that call.” 

“Whatever. Let’s just go.” Cody scratches his neck. “I’ll hail a taxi.” 

~

Noel knew Cody’s place would be nice, but _damn._

He can’t even hear Cody talking — “ _leave your shoes at the door, the kitchen is over there, help yourself, you can sleep on the couch_ ” — because he’s too busy taking it all in. 

Fancy white furniture. A white countertop. White walls. Everything is white. There’s a gigantic table with too many chairs, but only one of them has been moved. The only food he can see is a few lemons sitting on a spotless countertop. There’s a giant reflective silver disk on one wall and a blurry painting on another. When Noel walks into the kitchen, he’s in awe of the fridge. It’s absolutely huge. 

Noel is distracted looking at his disfigured reflection in the disk when Cody appears next to him. “You listening?” 

Noel jumps. “Oh! Yeah. Sick mirror.” 

Cody looks bemused. “Yeah, um, thanks, man. Like I was saying, you can sleep on the couch.” He gestures to the living room. 

“Can I even sit on this couch?” Noel jokes. “I feel like it’ll break all of my bones the second I sit down.” 

Cody isn’t paying attention anymore. He opens the fridge and takes out a single stick of celery, which he munches on as he talks. “So, I found a list of questions online that they might ask us.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah. I figured we could spend tonight going through them, answering them and shit.” 

“How many are there?” 

Cody shrugs. “Hundreds.” 

“Hundreds?! Shit. I mean, I’m sure we know a bunch of the answers already, though. We’ve worked together for years.” 

Cody thinks for a moment. He doesn’t know shit about Noel. “I wouldn’t be so sure.” 

Noel crosses his arms. “Try me.” 

“Okay...um…” Cody picks up his phone, scrolls for a while. “Here’s one. What’s my favorite movie?”

“ _The Big Lebowski_ ,” answers Noel instantly. 

Cody looks shocked. “That’s right.” 

Noel raises his eyebrows. “That’s what I meant. Some of these are easy. Like, you know my favorite movie, right?” 

Cody is silent. 

“I talk about it all the time?” 

Cody shrugs. 

“ _American Psycho._ Come on, man.” He laughs. “I quote the business card scene every time someone hands me one. ‘Look at that subtle colouring. The tasteful thickness,” Noel recites, making his voice deeper. “‘Oh my God. It even has a watermark.’” He laughs at himself. 

Cody laughs, too. “Huh. I guess...I never noticed.” He is slightly embarrassed, but he can’t explain why. He suddenly feels the urge to make Noel get one wrong. He looks for a harder question. “Oh, this one’s good. What’s my most embarrassing moment?” 

Noel chuckles. “That’s easy. When you googled information about Devon — Mr. Spinnler — before you met him for the first time, and when Devon asked for your phone so he could put his number in, you handed it to him and it opened right up to his Wikipedia page.” 

Cody shuts his eyes, remembering. “Yep. That’s it. Did I really tell you about that?” 

“Of course! You talked about it for weeks. Do you know mine?” 

“Of course not,” Cody admits. “Why would I?” 

“Why would you? You were there!” 

“Huh?” 

“I had skipped work to go to a Spock concert, but I told you I was sick, remember? And I thought I got away with it, but then he tweeted out a picture of the concert and you could see me in the crowd. Right in the front row. And you saw it.” 

Cody laughs. “Ha! I was so mad.” 

“I was just mad that the tickets weren’t free,” jokes Noel. “Being a BTR employee and everything.” 

“After that day, you almost _weren’t_ a BTR employee.” Cody sighs. “I can’t believe I didn’t remember that.” 

Noel smiles and shakes his head. “This is going to be harder than I thought.” 

_Knock, knock, knock._

Cody’s head shoots towards the sound. “Who could—?” 

“It’s probably Kelsey, with my stuff,” Noel says, trotting towards the door. “I’ll just be second—” 

When Noel opens the door, though, it’s not just Kelsey. 

It’s...everyone. Aleena and Charles and Lando and Lexi and everyone else. All of his friends. A few of them are carrying signs and Kelsey, standing in the front, is holding a cake. 

“SURPRISE!” They all yell in unison. 

“What’s going—” 

Without waiting for an invitation, the crowd starts filing into the apartment, each saying a quick “congrats” to Noel as they brush past him. They’re already chatting loudly and some are carrying trays of food or sparkly decorations. Cody is standing dumbfounded in the kitchen, and Noel rushes over to him as the crowd continues to fill the apartment. 

“I’m so sorry, I had no idea, I didn’t tell them to—” 

“What’s going on?” squeaks Cody, watching all of the guests walk over his carpet without taking off their shoes. “Who are these people?!” 

“They’re my friends, I swear I didn’t invite them, it’s just, Aleena and Kelsey just love planning things, they love surprise parties, it’d make sense that if they thought we were getting married, they’d want to do something nice—” 

“There’s the happy couple!” exclaims Kelsey, and the dozens of guests direct their attention to the pair huddled in the living room. “You didn’t think we’d let you get married without an engagement party, now, would you?!” The crowd cheers, some of them already holding up opened bottles of beer and glasses of wine. 

Noel forces a smile. “Thanks, you guys,” he manages as loudly as he can. Cody similarly plasters a smile on his face, slipping his arm over Noel’s shoulders and giving him a squeeze. 

_Oh boy. This is going to be a very long night._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If u caught the fact that Cody’s apartment is inspired by the kombucha lair that’s 10 points
> 
> also if ur wondering this looks like it will be a little over 10 chapters total?


	5. Chapter 5

Cody hates to admit it, but Kelsey and Aleena throw a great party. 

I mean, they threw this one together in essentially no time at all, and they even remembered to bring Noel’s stuff over. It’s honestly a superpower that they happen to share. 

Late into the night, Cody and Noel are deep into a bottle of champagne when Kelsey and Aleena gather everyone in the living room, encouraging the mostly-drunk guests to quiet down. She makes Cody and Noel sit together on the love seat, but the mood in the room is so energetic and happy that neither seem to mind. 

“Okay, everyone, listen up!” announces Kelsey. “It’s game time.” 

“Game time?” slurs Noel. “What kinda...uh...pin the dick on the husband or some shit?” 

She laughs. “Don’t be crude! It’s a relationship game.” 

“Wh...what?” says Cody, slumping against Noel’s side. “Like, answering questions about each other, or…?” He trails off, struggling to straighten himself back up. 

“ _Well,_ ” takes over Aleena. “We only learned about you two tonight. You’re great at keeping secrets, but that means we literally don’t know _anything_ about your relationship. When it started, how long it’s been, all of that basic shit.” 

“So, this is our opportunity to ask.” Kelsey and the rest of the guests cheer while Cody and Noel share a sideways glance that basically says _oh shit._ Nothing like the pressure of keeping up a lie to sober you up fast.

“I’ll begin!” yells a member of the crowd. “I’m Charles, by the way,” the man adds, realizing that Cody doesn’t know him.

“Much obliged,” Cody responds, overly formal. Noel waves stupidly. 

“My question is,” Charles says dramatically, and some guests beat on tables to create a drumroll. “Who asked who out?” The crowd oohs and ahhs. 

“Wait, wait! Let me guess!” shouts Aleena before either can speak. She turns to Cody “Chode—er, Cody, you’re a confident dude. You take what you want. And Noel can be shy. So I think it was you.” 

“You’re right,” Cody responds boldly before Noel can interject. “It was me.” 

“So, what’s the story?” prompts Charles. “You gotta tell us!” Everyone leans in expectedly. 

“Oh! Um…” Cody can feel all eyes in the room on him, staring at him with wide smiles. He feels out of place. He doesn’t know these people. And half of them probably hate him. He decides to pass it along. “Uh, Noel loves telling this story. Take it away, hun.” Every face turns to the man sitting next to him. 

Noel sighs low in his throat, so only Cody can hear. Of course Cody did this to him. What a dick. “Gee, thanks. Yeah, I’d love to tell it.” 

Noel’s never been into improv, which he suddenly regrets. He has no idea where to go with this. His mind is absolutely blank for several awkward seconds before he decides, what the fuck, he’ll just wing it. “It was a Friday...um...after work. And...we were working overtime together.” 

“ _Oooooh!_ ” coos the crowd suggestively. Noel ignores them the best he can. 

“And, um, it was getting really late, we were working on contracts or something, I don’t remember, and there was a knock at his office door.” 

Cody does his best to appear uninterested, given he’s supposed to know this story, but he’s really wondering where Noel’s going with this. 

“And it was...a delivery. Of...flowers. Roses. He had roses delivered to the office.” 

“AWWWW!!” the crowd sighs in unison. Cody glares daggers into Noel’s side profile, and Noel notices out of the corner of his eye. It’s clear he’s embarrassed that everyone thinks he’s some sort of sappy romantic. Noel thinks that’s hilarious, and decides to push it even further. 

“And I was like, ‘who are these flowers for?’ and Cody was like, ‘they’re for you. Because...you’re _my_ flower.” Noel smiles innocently as the crowd reacts. Cody’s face is redder than the fake roses. 

“Um, I can take over from here!” Cody blurts, seeing what Noel is doing and deciding to retaliate. “So, yeah, that happened. And Noel said, ‘really? For me?’ and... he started _crying_.” 

Noel has no choice but to nod silently as Cody continues speaking to the enthralled crowd. “Crying like a little baby! I had to comfort him for like, an hour. He went through a whole box of kleenexes. And when he was done with that, I said, ‘be my boyfriend?’ and he said, ‘yes.’ End of story.” 

“Ah, ah, ah!” Noel tuts, smiling sweetly at Cody, who forces a sweet smile back. “You almost forgot the best part!” 

“And what’s that, _sugarplum?_ ” Cody says through gritted teeth. 

“After that, he took me outside, and he had called a horse drawn carriage to meet us in front of the office and take us to dinner! It was _soo_ romantic. He’s such a softie.” 

The room explodes again in shock. No one is more shocked than Aleena, though, who knows Cody the best. Through the commotion, she mouths _really?_ to Noel, who just smiles.

“Okay, everyone!” pipes up Lexie. “Me next! My question is: when’s the wedding?!” 

“Oh, the wedding…” Cody glances at Noel, who shrugs. “We’re not big into the idea of a wedding...it’ll probably just be a legal thing. We’re signing the papers next week, if that’s what you mean.” 

“No wedding?!” gasps Kelsey. She grips Aleena’s arm, and they look at one another for a beat, both distressed. “You guys _have_ to have a wedding.” 

“Too much hassle. Anyway,” Cody says, ready to end this now. “It’s been a good night, and I’m sorry to call the party off early, but we have a big day tomorrow—

“Not just yet!” proclaims Kelsey. She raises up her glass, as well as a fork she’d been using for cake. Noel figures she’s going to propose a toast, so he reaches for his own glass. Kelsey surprises him by clinking the fork against the glass repeatedly, and soon, all of the other guests join in. 

“What is this?” asks Cody over the sound. He turns to Noel, who’s gone pale. “Why are they—” 

“Don’t you know?” hisses Noel out of the corner of his mouth. “It’s like a wedding thing. A tradition. When everyone clinks their glasses, the couple is supposed to kiss.” 

Cody swallows. “Oh.” 

“Come on you guys, what’s the hold up?!” chimes Aleena, a wide smile on her face. The clinking grows louder and louder, and Cody grows concerned the neighbors will hear. 

They turn to each other. Noel raises his eyebrows, as if to say, _how are we gonna do this?_ Cody shrugs almost imperceptibly, then closes his eyes. Not knowing what else to do, Noel does, too. They lean in slowly, lips pulled taut and straight, and they bump together for a split second before immediately pulling apart. 

“Welp, there’s your kiss!” Noel says peppily as Cody wipes his mouth off. 

“Aw, booo!” jeers the crowd. 

“Yeah, that ain’t a real kiss!” pipes up Charles. 

“You gotta give it to him!” yells someone else. 

Cody and Noel cringe internally. There’s only one way out of this, and they both know it. They begrudgingly turn towards one another again. The crowd grows louder. 

Noel notices that Cody seems nervous, maybe even confused. How long has it been since he’s kissed someone? Noel decides to take the reins. With a sigh, he scoots closer to Cody and puts his hand on his chin, first tilting it upward - he’s surprised Cody’s letting him do this - before leaning in. 

~

Cody knows that the crowd is screaming with delight, but somehow he can’t hear it. He can only feel Noel’s mouth on his, feel his five o’clock shadow brush against his skin, feel his thumb rub a reassuring circle against his cheek, grounding him in reality. 

It’s not that long of a kiss. Noel just presses in deeply for a few moments, listening to the reaction of the guests, before deciding it’s enough and drawing away. But it’s enough to make Cody blush a deep red and clear his throat repeatedly as the guests all shoot back their drinks in celebration. 

Noel appears unimpressed, tired. “Alright, guys. You got what you wanted. But Cody’s right—it’s probably time for you to go.” 

Kelsey and Aleena fight through the crowd to give the “couple” one last peck on the cheek. “We’ll herd everyone outside,” Aleena says in a whisper.

“Congrats again, you two.” Kelsey gives Noel a hardy pat on the soldier before they turn around and start corralling the group. 

After a few minutes, the apartment is deserted. Cody and Noel are still sitting on the love seat, unsure of where to go from here. 

“Shit,” Noel says finally, looking around. “We have to clean this place up.” 

“Um, yeah.” Cody’s still in a little bit of shock. He touches his lips, then shoves his hands into his pockets, hoping Noel didn't notice. 

“Should we start now, or…?” Noel begins, looking around at the streamers and paper plates littered across the room. 

“No, it’s fine,” Cody says with a sigh. “It’s late. We can clean it tomorrow, and while we do it, I can read more questions from the list.” 

“Sounds good to me.” Noel stretches, making his shirt ride up his torso. Cody desperately looks away. “So, you want me to sleep on the couch?” 

“Oh. Yeah, if that’s okay.” Cody stands up. “I’ll grab you some blankets.”

When Cody returns, Noel’s already in his ratty sleeping clothes and is sitting on the couch calmly, brushing his teeth and looking at his phone. Cody awkwardly sets the blankets on the ground and stands there for a minute. 

Noel looks up. Cody’s in a full on silk pajama set, with stripes and buttons and everything. Noel wants to make fun of him, but it almost feels too easy. I mean, he looks like an absolute dweeb. Noel can also tell that Cody’s trying to say something. He keeps taking deep breaths in, then letting them out, abandoning the thought. 

Noel doesn’t care, though. He brushes past Cody gruffly to reach the bathroom. After he spits into the sink, he calls back out to the confused man in the living room. “Goodnight, Cody.” 

“Uh, goodnight,” Cody says from outside. Lucky for Noel, he gives up on whatever he was planning to say and simply walks to his bedroom, shutting the door with a gentle click. 

Noel doesn’t sleep. Not because of the marriage, though. But because he was right: this couch is hard as a rock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you caught the danny and drew fanfic reference, then that's 15 points. it's a tough one to spot


	6. Chapter 6

The knock on the door doesn’t wake Noel up, because he’s already awake. He’s running on approximately 2 hours of sleep and is desperately trying to figure out Cody’s coffee maker, and the sudden, rapid sound almost makes him piss his pants. 

He immediately thinks it has to be the immigration guy—Mr. Sanders, wasn’t it?—but when he pulls open the door, he realizes how wrong he was. 

“NOELLL!!” greet Kelsey and Aleena in unison, smiling widely and dressed in coordinating colors. They look way too peppy for 8:00 in the morning, immediately hugging the shocked man and entering the apartment. 

“Hey, man, sorry to barge in!” Kelsey chirps, opening the blinds and setting down her purse. “Man, it’s dirty in here.” 

“Someone really needs to clean this. Anyway, don’t worry, Noel, we’re not here for you! We’re here for...hey, where’s Cody?” Aleena looks around. 

“C—um, he’s, he’s still in his—I mean our?—bed,” says Noel, confused and exhausted. “Wh—why are you guys—?” 

“We’re taking him out,” announces Kelsey.

Aleena appears beside her and wraps her arm around her girlfriend’s waist. “We need to get to know him.” 

“You _already_ know him,” protests Noel. They were planning on studying the list of questions today, and they can’t spare a single moment. 

“I know, I know,” Aleena says, raising her hand. “But, and excuse me for saying this, I _hated_ him. Kels never knew him, but I complained about him so much, that _she_ hated him, as well.” Kelsey nods solemnly. “And, despite this, you’re marrying him. You love him. So, I guess, I want to get to know the man you love.” She steps forward, putting her arm comfortingly on Noel’s. “I trust your judgement, man. If you’re marrying him, there must be a reason why. And I am determined to find out.” 

Noel doesn’t have anything to say to that. Except: “First door on the left.” 

Aleena smiles. “Thanks.” 

The pair dashes down the hallway. Noel sighs and turns away, directing his attention to the coffee maker again, missing Evonne and his daily macchiato.

Down the hall, there’s knocking, then the sounds of someone stomping angrily across the bedroom floor, then the sounds of a door swinging open, then: “NOEL, what the FUCK are—oh.” 

“Hey, Cody!” 

“What’s going on—?” 

“We’re taking you out today!” 

“Wh—” 

“We’re essentially Noel’s family, and if you’re not gonna offer us goats and chickens for his hand in marriage, then you’re at least gonna hang out with us. Go on, go get ready!” 

“I don’t think—” 

“It’s not up for debate!” Noel hears, and he stifles a laugh. Cody obviously does not understand this couple yet - they don’t take no for an answer. The next thing he hears is a meek “okay” from Cody and the door clicks shut. 

Aleena and Kelsey dash back into the kitchen, whispering and laughing amongst themselves. 

“What do you guys got planned for him?” Noel asks, seeing the mischievous looks on their faces. 

“Oh, nothing, nothing,” Kelsey laughs, waving her hand as though she’s swatting the conversation away. 

“Promise you’ll treat him right, at least,” Noel jokes. “And get him back at a good time.” 

“We can’t make any promises, Noel,” says Kelsey with a grin. 

“This is still all so weird,” murmurs Aleena, looking around the lavish apartment. “I mean - no offense, but _Cody._ Our _boss_.”

“None taken,” Noel mumbles back. “It is weird. It doesn’t feel real.” 

__

“The end of an era,” Kelsey sighs. “It’ll be so weird for you to be _married_.” 

__

“Don’t get sappy on me now,” says Noel, leaning against the counter. 

__

“Can’t help it,” Kelsey says, looking at Aleena. “I mean, _you_ getting married before _us,_ it’s kind of...unbelievable.” 

__

Luckily, in that moment, Cody stumbles into the kitchen, hair still disheveled and shirt wrinkled. “Hi, everybody,” he says as cheerily as he can manage, walking up to Noel. Kelsey and Aleena immediately turn their attention to him. 

__

“There he is! You ready to go?” Kelsey says, running up to him. 

__

“I mean, what am I supposed to be ready for?” 

__

“That’s a surprise! Come on, say goodbye to Noel, the day’s not getting any younger.” She leads Aleena to the door and they wait for a beat, looking back at the pair.

__

“We were supposed to clean and study today,” Cody says in a low voice, making sure his back is to the couple. “This is kinda ruining the plan.” 

__

“It’ll be fine,” Noel whispers back assuredly. “In fact, the immigration dude will probably ask about them, given that they’re my best friends, and you should know stuff about them.” 

__

Cody sighs. “I guess you’re right. Don’t break anything while I’m gone. Or burn the place down.” 

__

“I’ll do my best,” Noel says with a grin, crossing his arms. 

__

Cody just sighs again, then takes a step forward. In one quick motion, he pecks Noel on the lips, a gesture that catches Noel off-guard. He feels his ears turn pink as Cody swiftly walks away, tossing a “bye, sweetie” over his shoulder. In a few moments, they’ve left the apartment. 

__

Noel stands there, stunned, for a moment. _Bold._

__

~ 

__

“So, Cody,” Kelsey says, happily sifting through the ties on the rack ahead of her, glancing at the man, who’s texting on his phone. “Excited to be married?” 

__

He doesn’t look up. “Um, yeah. I guess.” 

__

“You staying in the same apartment, or—? Oh! Leens, you have to come look at this one.” She pulls out a tie as Aleena runs over. “It’s gorgeous. Look at that color.” 

__

“I love it. And look, this one matches.” She pulls out another tie. “Cody, what do you—hey, get off your phone.” 

__

Cody looks up in surprise. She’s never told him what to do, ever. He’s _her_ boss, and he has half a mind to snap back before he checks himself - she’s not his employee today. She’s his fiance’s best friend, and he’s gonna be polite. 

__

He tries to smile. “I’m sorry, but this is pretty important stuff, some business stuff. I’m texting Devon.” 

__

“Don’t care,” Aleena retorts instantly, holding the tie up to him and tilting her head. “Matches your eyes. It makes them pop.” 

__

“Agreed,” Kelsey says. 

__

“But we should think about bowties, too.” 

__

“Wait, what’s this for?” Cody steps back. “I mean, we’re not having a wedding.” 

__

“Sure, yeah, but you should still look nice on your wedding day,” Kelsey says, crossing her arms. 

__

“Or your ‘signing legal papers’ day, if that’s what it is. Come on, let’s look at bowties.” 

__

~ 

__

“So, Cody,” Kelsey says as they sit in the back of an Uber. Cody’s still on his phone, checking his email. “Who proposed?” 

__

Cody falters, but he doesn’t show it on his face. Who _did_ propose? “Um, I did.” 

__

“I wanna hear the story,” Aleena says, grabbing Cody’s phone and flipping it facedown. Cody scowls at her, and she just stares back expectantly. 

__

“It was...a few weeks ago,” he begins, now avoiding eye contact as he comes up with a lie. “We were at...one of our first date spots. Third, I think.” 

__

“Oh yeah? Where’s that?” 

__

“A picnic, actually. In…” he remembers the place he sometimes goes to walk around, to clear his head. He’s always thought that if he was gonna propose to someone, it would be there. “Monarch Park.” 

__

“I love that place,” Aleena says. “We’ve gone there thousands of times.” 

__

“Yeah. Us, too.” He suddenly finds himself a little lost in the fantasy world. “The lake, the willow trees, all of it is so beautiful. And so close to the city, it’s kind of incredible.” 

__

“For sure. A great place to propose.” 

__

“Right. I mean, I think he knew I was gonna do it. Because we went to the same tree that we went to on our third date, and he recognized the spot.” 

__

“Were you nervous?” 

__

Cody pictures himself in the situation. Noel, sitting under a tree, dressed up nice and sharing a picnic with him. Cody, with a tiny box in his back pocket and a question on his mind. “Yeah, I was nervous.” 

__

“Aw,” Kelsey says. She grabs Aleena’s hand. They’re thinking the same thing: _Wow, a human emotion._

__

“Like I said, though, it wasn’t that big of a thing. When we were done, I just got on one knee and...you know. Asked him. And he said yes.” 

__

“It’s sweet, though,” Aleena says genuinely. “I like it.” 

__

“Yeah.” Cody blinks, pondering the fictional memory. “I liked it, too.” 

__

His phone blinks, displaying an email from Marcus. He picks it up. 

__

“Oh, I gotta...I gotta respond to this,” he says, scanning the subject line. The girls sigh. 

__

~ 

__

“So, Cody,” Kelsey says, putting her arms on the table. The day has faded into night and Cody has dedicated _way_ more time in this than he ever intended. “When did you know Noel was the one?” 

__

Cody doesn’t pause his typing. “Sometimes you just know, you know?” He hopes his vague answer is enough to placate them. 

__

It isn’t. “But what, specifically? Was there a moment? An instant when you realized?” 

__

“I mean, I don’t know—” his phone rings. “Oh, shit. It’s Spock. He called me back.” 

__

“Don’t you dare answer that,” Aleena warns. 

__

“It’s actually really important—” his finger has almost pressed the “accept call” button when Aleena swipes the phone from his hand, declining the call and shutting it off completely. 

__

“Hey—!” Cody says, reaching for it, almost spilling a glass. 

__

“Answer the question. It’s our only day with you until this becomes official, and we’re not wasting it.” She shoves the phone into her pocket and looks at him with an innocent expression. 

__

“I mean, this one isn’t so interesting, either,” Cody stammers, still having no idea what he’s about to say and still reeling from the dropped phone call. 

__

“Doesn’t bother us,” says Kelsey with a smile. “It often works that way, doesn’t it? It’s a little thing that tells you. A little comment, habit, gesture, whatever, that lets you know.” She looks at Aleena, smiling. “Was for me, at least.” 

__

“Yeah. I guess that’s right.” Cody settles into his seat, thinking. He picks at his food. “With Noel, it was...I mean, fuck, this is gonna sound cheesy, but it was pretty soon after we met.” 

__

“Really?” 

__

“Yeah. He’d only been working under me for a few weeks...months? And I had to go to this stupid conference in LA, and he had to come with me.” 

__

“Oh, I think I remember this,” Kelsey says, nodding. She sips her drink. 

__

“It was just a weekend trip, nothing big. But he had never been on a plane before. We had first class seats and everything, and he was just so excited. Chatting up the flight attendants and looking out the window and ordering everything complementary on the menu.” Cody suppresses a smile as he continues. “And at the conference, he was so carefree. There were some big stars there, and most people try to give them space, but he was shameless about approaching them and telling them how much he loved their work. And they were so appreciative. Like, he’s a really genuine guy, he was so earnest and kind, that all these, like, global superstars were laughing with him, choosing to hang around him. He got a bunch of their numbers. And I felt...I mean, I felt a little _jealous._ ” 

__

Kelsey and Aleena smile. “Oh, my gosh. That’s…” 

__

“Yeah. It was the first time I kinda realized. You know, why I was jealous. Because he reminded me how...I don’t know, _fun_ life could be. He was just so happy to be alive. It was beautiful. And I...I really, really, liked him.” He stabs some lettuce with his fork. “So I kind of decided, I know this sounds weird, but...I decided to try and distance myself from him? To pretend I didn’t like him and...I don’t know. I’m glad I stopped pretending.” He stops his story there. 

__

They don’t say anything for a moment, they just stare, something bright dancing in their eyes. Cody feels uncomfortable, but less than before. 

__

“Cody, that was really sweet,” Aleena says eventually, squeezing Kelsey’s hand under the table. 

__

“Yeah, I mean...I didn’t really expect you to have an answer. Especially not one as nice as that.” 

__

Cody shrugs. 

__

“I was worried, to be honest,” Kelsey continues. “I didn’t see it, really, why you and Noel would be a thing. But now...I mean, shit, this is real.” 

__

Cody expects to feel a pang of guilt, but he doesn’t. He knows why. Because that story, it really did _was_ real. He remembers that trip clearly. He didn’t have to lie. 

__

_Except about the “liking him,” part, though, right?_

__

_Yeah, right. Of course._

__

Cody clears his throat. “So. Um. Is this the last destination for the day?” 

__

Aleena grins. “Not quite.” 

__

“Come on, what else could there _possibly_ be?” 

_~_

When Cody, Kelsey, and Aleena finally stumble back into the apartment, it’s 2am, and Noel is still up, pacing like a worried wife. 

“Where the fuck were you guys?!” he demands as the trio laugh and drunkenly chatter past him. He tails behind, concerned, as they slip on the tile floor on their way to the fridge. 

__

“Oh, nowhere,” Aleena says in a goofy voice. 

__

“Yeah, yeah, nowhere,” echoes Cody, throwing kombuchas into everyone’s hands. 

__

Noel barely catches his and sets it on the counter. “You’ve been gone, like, eighteen hours!” 

__

“Here and there, here and there…” 

__

“Why is there…” Noel steps closer to Cody, who giggles as Noel ruffles his hand through his hair. “Glitter in your hair? Oh, fuck, did you take him to a _stri_ —“ 

__

“None of your business,” scolds Kelsey, laughing. 

__

Noel sighs. “I guess not. But, you guys really should get—“ 

__

“Wait, wait, wait,” interjects Aleena, suddenly sobering up. “There’s something Kels and I have to ask you two.” 

__

“What’s that?” Noel slings his arm around Cody, trying to support his weight. 

__

“I guess it’s not ask, because we’re gonna do it,” corrects Kelsey. “We’ve already started doing it.” 

__

Noel’s eyes widen as he realizes. “You didn’t—“ 

__

“We started planning your wedding.” Aleena chugs some kombucha. 

__

Kelsey smiles at Noel’s aghast face. “It’s tomorrow.” 

__

“What?!” squeaks Noel. 

__

“Hooray!” Cody says sloppily, leaning into Noel. “A party!” 

__

“What happened today?” Noel mumbles before speaking up. “You couldn’t have possibly—“ 

__

“It’s not done, of course, but we have until 5 tomorrow to finish planning.” Aleena yawns and checks her watch. “So that’s...thirteen hours.” 

__

“You know what?” Noel huffs. It’s gone this far. Might as well take it even further. “Fine by me.” 

__

“Perfect. You’re the best, Noel. You’re gonna love it.” Kelsey smiles toothily. 

__

“Yeah, Noel, you’re gonna love it.” Cody yawns, wiping his eyes. 

__

“Okay, I gotta get this one to bed,” Noel says, looking at him with concern. 

“Read you loud and clear. We’ll text you the details. See you soon.” The couple grins before walking out the door, leaving Cody and Noel alone. 

__


	7. Chapter 7

Noel groans the second the door swings shut. 

“What? What is it?” Cody looks genuinely concerned, and he sways as he stands. 

“I mean...fuckin’ everything,” Noel says, internally debating the effectiveness of talking to Cody in this state. “But mostly, fuck, I don’t want to spend another night on that couch. Can I go back with them? They’re probably not even at the elevator. I can say I just want one last night in my bed—” 

“The immigration dude could come at any time, you know that.” Cody thinks for a moment. “You could...I mean, shit, you haven’t been to my bedroom?” 

“I’m not gonna sleep on your floor, man, no matter what dead animal the carpet is made out of—” 

“No, no, no. Noel, I’m fuckin’ rich, okay? Just look.” He pulls at Noel’s sleeve, dragging him down the hallway. 

“What’s this gonna—oh.” Noel gapes into the fancy bedroom. “That’s a big bed.” 

“I know,” Cody says simply, lumbering forward and falling onto it facedown. He spreads out all his limbs and they don’t even reach the edges. “And soft.”

Noel takes a step forward to feel the mattress. “Huh. Wow. What size _is_ this?” 

“The lady at the store called it a super king,” Cody says, his voice mostly muffled by the comforter. “I call it, where the magic happens.” He laughs at his own drunk joke. 

Noel gags. “Nope, nope. Not sleeping here, then, even if it’s this big—” 

“I was kidding! I was kidding.” He turns his head to the side, revealing his pink face and sweaty forehead. “This isn’t where the magic happens. I usually like to do it...ah...um…” he squints his eyes shut in concentration. 

“Come on man, you can do it,” encourages Noel sarcastically. “Name any sex position.” 

“Standing up!” Cody announces triumphantly after too long of a pause. 

Noel chuckles. “Nice, dude. I’ll remember that for the immigration interview.” 

“Oh, shit. The immigration interview.” Cody groans again. “We missed our studying. Let’s do it tonight.” 

“We can study, a little, I guess...I mean, I already learned what a sexual savant you are.” 

Cody laughs, recognizing the sarcasm. He starts to get under the covers. 

“Wait, dude, you’re still in a button-down, for fuck’s sake.” Noel laughs. “Go on. Get ready for bed.”

Cody sighs, closing his eyes. “Too tired to stand.” 

“Just—look, here, there’s a hoodie here, some sweatpants here…” Noel walks around the bedroom, collecting the strewn about articles of clothing. “Just put it on. You’re literally wearing shoes.” 

Cody squints down at his glitter converse then looks up at Noel. “Wait, I don’t want us to match, though.” 

“It’s not matching. Just because I’m wearing a hoodie and sweatpants—come on, dude. Just change. Brush your teeth.” 

This time, Cody relents, giving Noel time to think about what he’s gonna do. 

I mean, the bed is huge. And comfortable. And the couch is essentially a rock. And it’s not _that_ weird, is it? I mean, it’s just a bed.

When Cody stumbles out of the bathroom a few minutes later, his pants are on backwards and Noel is sitting on the far end of the mattress. He’s on his phone, pretending he doesn’t notice Cody making his way over. 

“Hey, there, honey,” Cody coos, getting in next to him. He fumbles for the lightswitch, draping the room in darkness. “Time to tell secrets.”

Noel sighs. “But just a few, though. It’s getting late.” 

Cody hums in agreement, pulling out his phone and beginning to scroll through some of the questions. “Let’s see, let’s see...first concert?”

Noel settles back into the bed, making sure there’s still some hefty room between him and Cody. He stares up at the dark ceiling. “Um...Rynx. Too poor as a kid to go, so it was just a few years back. It was great. You?” 

Cody nods and turns to his side, facing Noel. Noel swallows, not looking back. “Also just a few years back.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. I didn’t really have the money until then. I saw Post Malone a few months after first working at BTR. Haven’t actually been to one since. Now, I don’t have the time.” 

“Post Malone?” Noel glances quickly at Cody, looking quizzical.

“Yeah, Po—what, you’ve never heard of Post Malone?” 

Noel shrugs.

“ _The_ Post Malone? I mean, _shit,_ man, how couldn’t you—” 

“I don’t know! Maybe I have. Sing one of his songs.” Noel raises an eyebrow at him. “Do it. You won’t.”

Cody slowly sits up straight in bed. “Aw, come on, it’s literally _Post_ —” 

“I got nothin’. You’re gonna have to sing it.” 

Cody huffs out in indignation. “Fine, fine...I’m not really a performer...but…” He begins singing with more intensity than Noel expected: “ _I've been fuckin' hoes and poppin' pillies, man, I feel just like a rockstar…_ ” 

Cody’s only a verse or two into the song before Noel can’t keep it in anymore, and he bursts out laughing. Cody stops and stares down at him, confused. “What? What? Is my singing that bad?” Suddenly, he connects the dots. “Oh, fuck. You know who Post Malone is.” 

“Of _course_ I know who Post Malone is!” Noel manages through the laughter. “I have his fuckin’ number on my phone! Just wanted to hear you sing it. Didn’t know you were so good at rapping—” 

“Hey!” Cody shoves him, only slightly hurt. “That’s mean.” 

“Sorry, sorry.” Noel wipes a tear from his eye, still chuckling. “Ask me something.” 

“Your songs.” 

“Huh?” 

“Your songs,” Cody repeats. He pulls his knees to his chest, and Noel stares up at him. 

“What...what about them?” 

“I wanna hear them.” 

Noel turns to the side. 

“Come on.” 

“I mean, shit, man, it’s kinda—” 

“I have to know what your songs sound like if I’m giving you a fuckin’ _record deal._ ” He shakes him playfully. “Come on, man, I won’t make fun of them.” 

Noel sighs, seeing the logic. How does Cody still possibly have logic? “Okay...okay. You can listen to one.” 

“Can I pick?” Cody says, wringing his hands together excitedly.

“You don’t even know their na—” 

“The one you mentioned yesterday, the one that is a new genre for you. ‘Habit?’ ‘Bad Habit?’” 

Noel props himself up on his elbows, looking at Cody briefly. Huh. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s the one.” 

“I wanna listen.” Cody leans against the headboard, waiting.

“Alright, alright.” Noel pulls his phone and earbuds from the nightstand. “Here, listen with these...there’s nothing I hate more than people listening to my shit with their fuckin’ laptop speakers, their phone speakers, stuff like that.” 

Cody nods, taking the earbuds and putting them in. Noel scrolls for a moment before looking back at Cody, who gives him a thumbs up. He hits play. 

Cody doesn’t say anything for the whole song. He just closes his eyes and sits back. Noel watches nervously, realizing this is what he had been trying to build up the courage to do ever since he started working at BTR...he never imagined he’d be doing it sitting in Cody’s bed. 

When the song ends, Cody pulls his headphones out and looks at Noel with big eyes. Noel sweats. 

“What? What is it? Was it good?” 

Cody blinks slowly. “It was good.”

“Yeah? You’re not just saying that?” 

“No, no...it was good.” Noel realizes that the alcohol has stripped Cody’s filter away. He’s telling the truth. “It was really good.” 

“Thanks, man. I mean it.” 

“I liked...I liked…‘you wanna take a shot with me? Well, I got a full clip.’ That was clever.” He looks up, remembering. “I liked...the chorus. ‘You don’t love me, I’m just a bad habit.’ That’s sad. It’s good, though. I like it.” 

Noel doesn’t say anything this time, he just resumes looking at the ceiling. Cody takes a breath. 

“Who’s it about?” 

Noel chuckles. “Come on, man.” 

“You gotta tell me.” 

He sighs. “It’s not gonna come up.”

“I just gotta know.”

“Okay, okay...it’s about...I mean, shit. I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

Cody smiles toothily. “I’m not gonna remember, don’t worry.”

Noel laughs. “Okay. It’s about some...one, someone I hooked up with regularly a few months back. And I wanted it to...to, I don’t know, be more than that. And this person didn’t. They kept me a secret, for one. From their friends. And I felt like that.” He lets out the air he was holding low in his chest. “Like I was their bad habit.” 

“Oh.” 

“That ever...that ever happen to you? You ever want more from someone than what they’re willing to give?” 

Cody scratches his head. “I mean, not from someone I’ve dated, or anything. To be honest...fuck, man...” 

Noel smiles. “I just told you somethin’, now it’s your turn.” 

“You’re right, you’re right. I haven’t...I haven’t really dated someone in a while. I mean, a _long_ while. I broke up with my last girlfriend pretty soon after I started working at BTR, and that was the last steady thing I’ve had. And there hasn’t even been any sex for like...I mean, I wanna say months, but it might be a year at this point.” 

“I sensed that from you.” 

“Huh?” 

“All work, no play.” Noel shuts his eyes, not liking how that sounded, but Cody didn’t seem to notice. “Never let yourself have any fun.” 

“Yeah, no, it’s true. This job is kinda everything to me. That’s why I fuckin’ proposed to you. To keep the job. That’s the fuckin’ testimony, right there.” 

“You like anyone?” 

Cody feels his heart leap. Weird. “Um, no. I don’t think so.” 

“So, it’s not because you’re, like, saving yourself? For someone you want?” 

“No.” He swallows. Why does it feel like he’s lying? “There’s no one I want.”

Noel nods. 

Cody clears his throat and pulls his phone out. “You...you wanna hear another question?” 

“Sure.” 

“Any...any tattoos?” 

“That’s on the list?” 

“Yeah, right here.” Cody points to his phone screen. 

“No. No tattoos. You?” 

Cody smiles, his tipsiness coming through again. “Maybe.” 

Noel laughs. He sounds flirtatious. “I’ll take that as a yes. What are they? _Where_ are they?” 

“Guess.” 

“Ass.” 

“No.”

“Chest.” 

Cody laughs. “A chestpiece? No.” 

“Um...arm?” 

“Nope.” 

“Man,” Noel grumbles. “What other body parts exist? Dick?” 

Cody laughs again. “Wrong, wrong, wrong. It’s a thigh tattoo.” 

“A _thigh_ tattoo!” 

“Yeah. I just think they look cool.” 

“Well, what is it?” 

“Guess.” 

“Don’t make me guess,” groans Noel.

“Fine. I’ll show you.” To Noel’s surprise, Cody swings his lower body out from under the blankets and pretty much immediately pulls one side of his sweatpants down to his knee. It’s a skull smoking a cigarette in black ink. 

Noel laughs. 

Cody squints at the design. “What? Do you not like it?” 

“No, it’s fine. I just can’t believe I didn’t know this about you. Have I _never_ seen you in shorts? That seems impossible.” 

Cody smiles as he pulls his sweatpants back up. “There’s a lot to learn about me, Miller.” 

“Apparently.” 

“I got...I got another question,” Cody says, suddenly sheepish, especially considering the fact that he shamelessly yanked down his pants a second ago. 

“...okay.” 

“It’s...not on the list.” 

Noel is silent for a moment, listening to the slow sounds of Cody’s breathing. “Okay.”

“Who would you have called?” 

“What...what do you mean?” 

“Friday morning, at work. You came in with that coffee cup with two numbers on it. Evonne and Aldis. Who would you have called?” 

Noel feels sweat beading on his forehead. “It’s hot in here.” 

“You don’t have to tell me.” 

“I know.” 

“But...you _can_ tell me. If you want.” 

“If you must know, I wouldn’t have called either.” 

“Okay.” 

“I can’t just...call people. Or ask them out. I gotta know them. That’s your answer.” 

“Works for me,” Cody says simply. 

“Man,” Noel says, ready to move on. “It _is_ hot in here, though.”

“We’ll just take our hoodies off.” 

Silence. 

Cody cringes. _Oops._

Noel continues sweating. _He knows how that sounded, right?_

Noel tries to cover up the awkwardness with a joke. “I see what you’re tryna do… ‘sleep in my bed, Noel, it’s comfier. Oh, it’s so hot, let’s take our hoodies off, let’s bare our chests.’” His Cody imitation is high-pitched and goofy, and Cody laughs. 

“No, no, not like that, dude!” 

“I know, I know. You’re right.” Taking the first step, Noel takes his off and drops it on the floor, being sure to get back underneath the blankets quickly. Cody does the same. He’s grateful it’s dark. 

They sit in silence for a few more moments. The air feels staticy and electric. Noel faces the other way, but he still feels Cody’s heart beating. Cody closes his eyes and tries to think about something else. 

“Well...goodnight, I guess,” Cody eventually manages, his brain fuzzy and already trying to escape to his dreams. 

“Goodnight.” Noel pauses a beat. “Husband.” 

His voice is the last thing Cody thinks of before he drifts off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if u caught the podcast hoodies reference that’s 10 points  
> okay also I looked for hours for the full bad habit song that noel played on his stream because i wanted to write out a whole verse but i couLDN’T FIND IT so if anyone else has the clip of him playing the song, ill give u a smooch if u drop it in the comments <3


	8. Chapter 8

There’s a knock at the door. 

Cody groans into Noel’s skin. 

_Freeze._ Noel’s skin? 

Cody forgets about the knock for a moment to orient himself. 

He’s in his bed, of course. He has a pounding headache left over from last night. He’s shirtless. And he’s...in Noel’s arms. Kind of. More like, he’s lying face-down on his bare chest, so that he rises and falls with each breath he takes. Noel has one arm slung over Cody’s back, the other loosely on his waist. Their feet are tangled up below them. Unlike Cody, Noel is still fast asleep. _Thank goodness._ He doesn’t know.

Cody carefully removes himself from the position, delicately slipping from the bed and into his slippers and a robe. He plods down the hallway, yawning, fully expecting to see Kelsey and Aleena when he swings open the door. Instead…

“Mr. Sanders?!” 

“Mr. Ko,” greets the man, looking up from a clipboard and noticing Cody’s attire. “It appears I’ve woken you up. I do apologize.” He does not look apologetic at all - in fact, he looks the opposite. It was definitely part of his plan.

“No, no, it’s okay…” Cody groggily rubs his eyes and glances at the kitchen clock. 5:00am on a Sunday. His wedding day. 

“Nice apartment you got here. Mr. Miller home?” He raises his eyebrows, looking behind Cody quizzically. He grins like he caught him in a lie. “It looks like you’re alone in here. Hmm, interesting. Noel couldn’t _possibly_ be at his former address, would he, because you two _are_ engaged after all—” 

Before Cody has the chance to say anything, he hears the sound of bare feet on the hardwood floor. In a moment, Noel appears behind him, yawning, walking in the direction of the kitchen. He’s in nothing but his boxers. 

“Hey, hon, why you up so early? Anxious for the wedding, or—” As he passes the door, he sees Mr. Sanders and gasps. “Oh! I didn’t expect anyone—” 

He’s acting surprised, but Cody knows better. Noel is just putting on a show. 

“I apologize for our outfits, I just really didn’t expect guests this morning, let me go grab something and we can talk—” 

“No, no, no, it’s quite alright,” stammers out Mr. Sanders, flustered and embarrassed. “I just was checking in, I saw everything I needed to see, er, well—” 

“Actually,” interjects Cody, “before you go, our wedding is actually tonight—” 

Mr. Sanders looks shocked. "Really?" 

“Yep. You’re invited, of course, if you’re at all interested,” calls out Noel, who’s moved down the hall. “Should be fun.” 

“I mean...yes. Yes, I’ll be there. Just send me the details, if you would.”

“No problem.” 

“Um...I won’t take any more of your time. Have a lovely day, you two.” He nods his head quickly before scurrying off down the hall. Cody pushes the door shut. 

The second they’re alone, they burst out laughing.

“Nice going, there, Noel,” manages Cody through his laughter. “He really thought he got us.” 

“The ‘I’ve seen everything I need to see’ was so funny. What was he talking about? Me, half naked? Is that what he needed to see?”

“Apparently, because it worked. He fuckin' bolted down the hallway.” Cody smiles, entering the kitchen. “You want coffee?” 

“Coffee? Nah, I’m going back to bed, aren’t you?” 

“Oh.” Cody hesitates by the coffee pot. Does Noel want him to go back with him? “Um...yeah. Yeah, I could sleep for a few more hours.” 

“Good.” 

Good? That one word gives Cody plenty to think about as he drifts off for a second time, this time, shamelessly inches away from Noel. He figures that once they’re both asleep, they’ll get back in the same position as before. 

He’s right. 

~

Five hours until the wedding. 

Cody expects to have _something_ to do to get ready for the wedding. He waits by the phone, thinking Aleena and Kelsey will soon text him a list of complicated tasks to make this event actually happen. Getting a cake, inviting guests, finding an officiant, _something._

“Right?” 

Noel laughs at Cody’s worried face. They’ve been playing video games on Cody's HDTV for an hour now. “You still don’t know them, man. They’ve got it under control. Believe me. We won’t have to lift a finger.” 

“Yeah, but they’re just two people.” 

“You saw what they did on Friday night. And yesterday. This is what they’re born to do.” 

“But it’s not like that. It’s a _wedding._ They can’t possibly—” 

“Trust me, man. The only thing we’re gonna have to do is show up.” 

“And, you know, put on the act.” 

Noel leans back on the couch. “Oh?”

“Play the part. Be the newlyweds.” 

“Oh, yeah. That. Watch out, on your left.” 

~

Four hours until the wedding. 

“Let’s see, let’s see...best friend?” 

“Come on, man.”

“What?” 

“You know the answer to this one.” Noel raises an eyebrow. 

“Oh, yeah.” Cody knocks himself on the head. “Duh. Aleena and Kelsey.” 

“Of course. And yours is…” 

“There’s no way you’ll know this one.” 

Noel thinks for a moment. “Your right hand.” 

“Ha. No, really. Do you know?” 

Noel shrugs. “Guess not.” 

Cody smiles smugly. “See, you don’t know everything about me.”

“Who is it, then?” 

Cody freezes. Shit. “Um...you wouldn’t know him.” 

Noel grins wide. “What, he go to another school or something?” 

“No, no. His name’s Matty. I just haven’t seen him in a while.” 

Noel nods. Cody doesn’t bother to explain that “a while” means they haven’t talked since high school. 

“Moving on..." he scrolls to the next question. "Favorite restaurant?” 

Noel chews his pizza thoughtfully. “In the city? Or, like, ever?” 

Cody shrugs. “It doesn’t specify. Do both, so I can say one is a date spot that we go to.” 

“Okay. My favorite _ever,_ this diner a few blocks from where I grew up. It’s called the Malt House.” 

“Okay. And around here?”

Noel nods down at the pizza box. 

“Carnival Pizza? Really?” 

“I’m a simple man,” Noel says, grinning at Cody across the table. “You put cheese on some bread and I’m happy. What about you?” 

“Dorothy’s.” 

Noel scoffs. 

“What?” 

“Just like you, to have that place be a favorite restaurant. Come on, man. Comfort food. _Good_ shit. Not fancy stuff.” 

“Fine. If I can’t say Dorothy’s...do you know this place down on 6th, the Friendly Hog?” 

Noel laughs. “That sounds like a pub in _Lord of the Rings_ or some shit.” 

“It’s not. It’s a shitty bar I’ve been going to since I first moved here. Well, shitty looking. Real run-down place. And no one knows about it. But, damn. Best appetizers I’ve ever had. And the guy who runs it, Johnny, is the best.” 

“Interesting. You’ll have to take me some time.”

“Yeah.” Cody looks down at his plate. “Guess I will.” 

~

Three hours until the wedding. 

“I have a question. Not from the list.” 

“Okay.” 

“Are you gonna be, like, Mr. Ko after this?” 

“... _what?_ ”

“Like…” Cody sighs, thinking. “Should you change your name or something? To make it more believable?” 

“Okay, _one_ ,” Noel says, pointing at Cody with his stick of celery. “I wouldn’t be Mr. Ko, I’d be Mr. Kolodziejzyk.”

“True. I always forget you know how to pronounce that.” 

“And _two._ ” Noel bites down on the celery with force. “If anyone is changing their names around here, it’s gonna be you.” 

“Me?” Cody laughs loudly, pouring himself another glass of rosé. “Cody Miller? You wish.” 

“Yes, I _do_ wish. Noel Kolodziejzyk sounds like shit.”

“Well, sure, but you could say Ko, like I do. That sounds cool. Noel Ko.” 

“I'm Noel Miller, and that’s final.” 

“Fine. No name change, I guess.”

“Very modern of us.”

Cody nods, still thinking. _Cody Miller._

Noel looks down at his feet. _Noel Ko._

~

Two hours before the wedding. 

“So, Kelsey wants us there sooner rather than later, so we can run through a quick rehearsal.” 

“We didn’t have to write vows or anything, right?” Cody asks nervously, scrolling through the guest list that the girls sent a few minutes ago. “Because I don’t have anything prepared.” 

“Nope. It’s gonna be a really short ceremony. Nothing big. The reception’s the main part. Oh, look.” Noel points at a name over Cody’s shoulder. “Devon and Marcus are coming.” 

Cody gapes at the names. “How the fuck did she get them to confirm? They never do stuff outside of work.” 

“Beats me. Kelsey has her ways.” Noel looks at the clock. “Oh, shit. We should probably start getting ready.”

Cody nods. “Do you wanna shower first, or should I?”

“We could just shower together,” Noel says, deadly serious. 

Cody swallows. “Ha, ha. No, really.” 

“Don’t care.” 

“Okay, you go. You’ll take less time than me.” 

“Sweet.” Noel pulls his shirt off instantly and swings it over his shoulder as he walks down the hall. Cody turns a deep red and stares at the ceiling. 

~

One hour until the wedding. 

“Fuck.” 

“What?” 

“Can’t...can’t get the tie to look right.” Noel’s standing in front of the hallway mirror looking more frustrated than Cody’s ever seen him. “Because it’s a fucking bow tie. Who wears bow ties anymore?” 

“We do, apparently.” Cody checks his watch. “We should really get going.” 

“I know, I know...one second…” 

“Here, just…” Cody takes a breath before walking up to Noel. “Let me do it.” 

Noel sighs and hands it over. 

Everything about this day has felt weird and overly formal, but nothing feels stranger than this. 

Cody can feel Noel’s eyes on him as he drapes the tie around his neck, and just the thought makes his hands sweaty. He steadies his breathing as he focuses on the fabric instead of the man wearing it. 

“You ready for this?” Noel asks. 

“Hm?” Cody looks up at Noel briefly, who’s smiling ever so slightly. “Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I’m ready.” 

“You sure? No cold feet? Not gonna leave me at the altar, are you?” 

Cody laughs. “No. I should be asking you the same question.” 

“I’ve made it this far.” 

“Aw, how sweet.” Cody smiles at him as he pulls the knot tight. 

“You have pretty eyes,” Noel says suddenly.

_Why is Noel doing this?_ Cody thinks desperately. “Um, thanks.” 

“I just...never noticed.” He doesn’t break the eye contact until Cody does. 

“We’re...really doing this, huh?” 

“Yep.” Noel laughs, glancing at himself in the mirror. “You’re crazy, man.” 

“For wanting to marry you? I know.”

“If only someone else had walked into the office on Friday,” Cody says in a wistful voice, staring into space. 

Noel chuckles. “Stuck with me, I guess. Let’s go.” 

Cody half expects - hopes? - that Noel would stick out a hand, but he doesn’t. He walks out the door and into the hallway, Cody close behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally can’t apologize enough for the celery/rosé reference I could not stop myself I regret everything💕💕


	9. Chapter 9

Kelsey and Aleena throw a great wedding. 

Not that Cody and Noel are surprised. They were just a little worried when they sent them the address - it’s essentially in the middle of nowhere, way outside of the city in a _barn_ , of all places. 

_its all we could get on such short notice but ur gonna LOVE IT_ , said Kelsey in the groupchat. 

_theres not like.. cows or anything in there, right?_ Noel sent back.

 _no cows:( but we did get a dance floor_

The rehearsal they run through is supposed to be brief - after all, the wedding is starting in thirty minutes, and there are guests waiting outside. But Cody and Noel slow the process down for two reasons. 

Reason one, they can’t stop gawking at the place. It’s rustic yet classy; the antique wooden walls are accented with white curtains, flowers, and lights, and sporadic holes in the ceiling let the sun in. The weather is nice enough that they decided to put the tables outside next to the portable dance floor tiles they borrowed from a friend. They couldn’t afford catering other than the cake, but Cody and Noel don’t mind. 

“Oh, also, we really wanted a live band,” Kelsey explains as they continue touring around. “But it fell through.” 

“The DJ is supposed to be really good though,” Aleena adds. “Highly recommended.” 

“Guys, guys,” Noel says, laughing as they enter the ceremony space again. He feels like he’s in a movie. “We didn’t expect _anything._ So this is…” 

“Perfect,” Cody finishes, staring at the altar. _Too perfect._

Kelsey and Aleena share a look that says _we know._

Reason two, they argue for ten minutes over who has to walk down the aisle. 

“I’m not doing it, and that’s the end of the story,” Noel says firmly. 

Cody scoffs. “There is no way in hell I’m walking down the aisle. It’s you or no one, buddy.”

“You guys didn’t _talk_ about this?” Aleena asks, exasperated. 

“I forgot it’s a thing! Come on, Cody, do this for me. Your soon-to-be husband.” Noel makes a puppy dog face, but Cody just laughs at him. 

“One of you has to walk down the aisle,” Kelsey says, crossing her arms. “So decide quickly.” 

“Who’s gonna give me away if I do it? I have no family here,” protests Cody. 

“Neither does Noel. It’s not about that. It’s a big moment for a lot of people. A lot of people dream about it. You should _want_ to walk down the aisle.” 

“Okay, okay.” Noel holds his hands up. “I know what to do. Rock paper scissors.”

“Rock paper scissors?” groans Aleena. 

“I’m down,” Cody says confidently. “Winner gets to stand at the altar, loser walks.” 

“I can’t believe you two,” Kelsey says with a hint of fondness. 

“Okay, Codes, get over here.” Noel squares up jokingly, holding his palm and fist out in front of him. “Get ready to lose.” 

Cody copies his stance, bouncing back and forth like he’s in a boxing ring, and Aleena laughs. “We go on _shoot._ Ready?” 

Noel nods, fully serious, and they speak in unison: “Rock, paper, scissors, _shoot._ ” 

“FUCK!” Noel screams as Cody throws down a fist. “Rock beats scissors. FUCK!” 

“HA!” Cody shouts, triumphant. “I’m a fucking _beast_ at rock paper scissors! FUCK YES! Suck my dick!” 

“Best two out of three!” Noel whines. 

“No way! That wasn’t the deal! If you think I’m—!”

“GUYS!” Aleena interrupts. “Kelsey's right, we’re running low on time. Noel, you’re walking down the aisle. Cody, you’re at the altar. Good?” 

Cody beams widely and gives a thumbs up before dashing off. Noel just grumbles, crossing his arms. 

“Hey,” Kelsey says, leaning in to him. “I secretly hoped it would be you, you know.” 

Noel frowns. “Wh—why?” 

“Because I’m gonna give you away,” Kelsey says with a wink. In the background, Aleena chuckles. “Let’s get this rehearsal started.” 

~

The ceremony itself is a blur. It’s short, as they requested, but admittedly nice. Even though it’s all fake, they couldn’t help but get swept up in it all. 

When Noel sees Cody standing at the altar, for instance. They share a smile and a knowing glance, and Kelsey walks tearfully at his arm, and Noel is _happy_ he’s the one who had to walk. Sure, it’s embarrassing and nerve-wracking and fake, but he’s happy. 

And when the officiant says you may now kiss the groom and their lips touch for the third and what Noel imagines is the _last_ time, Noel feels something strange. A feeling that, when Cody pulls away from the kiss to wave at the crowd, consumes him. Not regret. Not sadness. Something that makes him want to pull Cody back in, kiss him again, this time without thinking about the audience, about the fake wedding, about the pressures of their lie. 

Noel’s wrong, though. He gets more opportunities to kiss him. As the ceremony transitions into the reception, the guests can’t seem to stop clinking their glasses. All it takes is one person to start hitting their fork against their cup, and soon the room is consumed with the sound, often accompanied by the chants of “kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” And Noel turns Cody towards him each time, pulling him in by the back of his neck or his suit jacket or his belt loops. Sometimes he laughs into the kiss and other times he just breathes and focuses on the feeling. He wishes Cody had worn a necktie so he could pull him in by that. 

Weird. 

The DJ announces a first dance at some point, and Cody doesn’t feel nervous or embarrassed. He stands up with excitement and drags a reluctant Noel to the dance floor as a crowd forms around it and a cheesy song starts playing. Cody lets Noel lead. He puts his hands on Noel’s shoulders, pulls him in, and allows himself to follow. 

Weird. 

~

The songs get more energetic after that, and dozens of people get on the dance floor. Although Cody and Noel mostly stick by each other, Noel makes sure to save a dance for both Kelsey and Aleena, which gives Cody time to really assess the crowd. 

There’s tons of people from the engagement party, of course. There’s Devon and Marcus, standing in a far corner and talking mostly to each other. Near the cake is Mr. Sanders, who seemed cold and calculating for most of the ceremony but now has relaxed. Cody thinks this is probably a good sign. Finally, there’s a girl that he doesn’t recognize. She has short blonde hair and a big smile, and she mostly keeps to herself. He’ll have to ask Noel about her later. 

“Hey, husband,” Noel greets excitedly, the last song having just ended. He sinks into the chair next to Cody and puts his feet on the table. “I can’t believe this is going so well.” 

“Neither can I,” Cody says truthfully. “I mean, fuck. This is fun. I thought it’d be awkward.” 

“I know, right? I’m gonna miss being married to you, when this is all over.” Noel grins at Cody, who can’t tell if he’s being serious. 

_Of course he’s not being serious. Why would he be serious? This is a green card. This isn’t real._

“Before I forget,” Cody blurts, trying to distract his own brain. “Do you know her?” He gestures at the blonde girl, who’s now being ruthlessly hit on by one of Noel’s friends. 

“Of course! That’s Evonne.” He takes a swig of water. “Our barista.”

“ _Our_ barista?” 

“Yeah, of course _our_ barista. From Starbucks. I see her, like, every single day.” 

A light clicks in Cody’s head. “Wait. Evonne. From...from the coffee cup? Who gave you her number? Who _likes_ you?” 

Noel shrugs. “I guess. I bet she feels awkward about that now. Man, I feel bad.” He stands up abruptly. “I’m gonna go talk to her.” He’s gone before Cody can protest. 

_But why would I protest?_ Cody reminds himself. _It’s not like I’m actually marrying Noel. He can talk to who he wants. Hell, he can date who he wants. We’re not married. This isn’t real. This isn’t real._

Still, despite everything, Cody watches them from across the room, seething. 

Noel is leaning against the table and Evonne is standing under him. Her big eyes stare upwards as he speaks, and when he cracks a joke, she giggles and touches his arm. She pulls at his sleeve to whisper something in his ear, and he laughs and whispers back. She applies lipstick slowly, slowly, and his eyes follow the movement. He rubs the back of his neck and she twirls hair around her fingers. And Cody watches it all. 

He wants to say he’s not jealous because there’s no reason for him to be jealous. Noel is not his husband. 

And yet. 

He’s reminded of that conference that him and Noel went to a while back. 

It’s not like Cody needed Noel there. Noel had started working for him a month or so before, and Cody liked him, so he asked him to come. Well, he told him he _had_ to go, even though there was no good reason, but luckily, Noel didn’t question it. And when Noel started hanging out with other guests - namely, stars of the music industry - Cody felt jealous. 

Evonne’s not a celebrity, though. She’s just a girl. She’s just a girl that Noel sees every day, that gives him her phone number, that Noel has _chemistry_ with, that he’s talking to like she’s the only girl in the world. 

“You okay there, bud?” 

Cody jumps at the voice. It’s Aleena, standing behind him with a look of concern. Cody realizes he’s been gripping his glass so hard that his knuckles are white. 

He laughs it off, tearing his eyes away from the couple. “Yeah, yeah...I’m fine. Just...I dunno, post-wedding emotions, I guess.” 

“‘Kay. Just making sure.” She follows Cody’s line of sight to where Noel is standing, still talking to Evonne, but she doesn’t comment on it. “I’m just...I’m just looking for Kels. You seen her?” 

“Kelsey? No, not for a while.” Cody surveys the room briefly. “Have you checked… _oh._ ” His face drops. 

“What? What is it?” 

He points at the circular table where Kelsey is sitting, laughing and smiling and having an intense conversation with...Mr. Sanders. He has a clipboard out as she speaks, furiously writing things down and glancing at Noel every few seconds. 

_What the fuck is she telling him?_

“Oh, no.” 

“What?” Aleena squints. “Is something wrong? Who is that?” 

“Oh, no one, no one,” Cody says, hurriedly standing up. “I just need to...ah...talk to Noel real fast, that’s all.” He dashes from the table, leaving Aleena confused. 

Noel flinches when Cody appears behind him and grabs him by the elbow, securing his attention. 

“Oh, hey, Codes, do you wanna meet Evonne? She’s—” 

“Nice to meet you,” Cody says coldly before turning Noel towards him. “We need to talk.” 

Noel raises his eyebrows. “Uh...what’s up?” 

Cody gestures towards Kelsey and Mr. Sanders, who’s now shaking Kelsey’s hand and standing up. 

“What? I don’t get it,” Noel whispers. 

“Kelsey was just talking to him.” 

“So? Oh, wait.” Noel’s eyes widen. He looks back at Mr. Sanders, who’s now storming towards them. “Oh, fuck. Don’t look now. He’s coming over here.” 

“Everything okay, Noel?” Evonne says, concerned. 

“Yeah, no, we’re great,” he says over his shoulder.

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Cody growls. “We just gotta run inside for a second.” 

“Well...okay, then,” Noel says, still confused. He turns back to Evonne, smiling as genuinely as he can manage. “Talk soon?” 

She tucks her hair behind her ear. “Yeah, of course.” 

Before Noel can say anything else, Cody has dragged him halfway into the barn. They push through the doors and stand in the empty wedding hall. 

The second they’re alone, Noel turns furiously to Cody. “What’s your deal, man?” 

“What?” Cody says, sitting heavily in one of the chairs and putting his head in his hands. 

“What’s your deal with Evonne? You seemed so icy for no reason. She’s a nice person, dude.” 

“I don’t give a shit about Evonne,” Cody spits, glaring at Noel. “We’re not here to talk about her.” 

Noel crosses his arms and glares back. “Well, fine, then. What’s the deal with Kelsey? 

“She was talking to Mr. Sanders.” 

“I know that. What did she _say_?”

“I don’t know, man. He was just...I don’t know, _too_ interested in what she was saying. Taking notes on his clipboard and shit like that. And now he’s trying to talk to us…”

“Hey, I’m sure it’s nothing, really. Why don’t we just…” 

“Hey, fellas,” echoes a deep voice from the doorway. 

Cody’s head shoots up. _Fuck._ “Mr. Sanders?” 

“What brings you two in here?” He’s strolling down the aisle with a smile that’s too big to be real. “Nothing suspicious, I hope.” He says it knowingly, the words dripping with pretension. 

Noel forces a laugh. “No, no...we just…needed a break from the action, that’s all.” He shoves his hands into his pockets. “Um...are you enjoying the wedding?” 

“Oh, _beautiful_ ceremony. Just gorgeous. And lovely people, too.” He pauses. “That bridesmaid...she’s something, isn’t she?” 

Cody swallows and chances speaking. “Oh, yeah. Aleena’s the best—” 

“Not Aleena.” He stops walking and smiles. “Kelsey.” 

“Kelsey’s great, too,” Noel says weakly. 

“She was saying some _really_ interesting things back there! Really, really, interesting...” 

This time, Cody and Noel say nothing. 

“She was telling me about when she first heard about the engagement. Pretty sudden, she says. Especially considering she believed Noel was interested in someone else at the time.” 

Noel juts in nervously. “Oh, well, that's nothing, Kelsey was probably—” 

“Let me finish.” He pulls out his clipboard, scans it quickly. “ _Apparently_ , you and Cody were basically enemies in her eyes. Never once heard you say a nice thing about him. Also, you were apparently too shy to ever show Cody any of your songs. Not to mention, you only moved in with Cody the _day_ you came in for your first interview. And, according to another one of my sources, someone who worked closely with Cody…” 

“ _Fucking Blayze,_ ” Cody mumbles. 

“You two weren’t even friends around the workplace. Sure, you could say you were putting on a show to try and hide the relationship. But _apparently_ Cody would privately complain about Noel around the office, even at one point saying he was going to fire him.” 

Noel frowns at Cody, who just shrugs. 

“What I’m trying to say here, boys,” Mr. Sanders says, staring at them both. “Is that I think I figured out the game you’re playing.” 

“Oh yeah?” Noel says with more force than Cody expected. “And what’s that?” 

“This is a green card. _You,_ Mr. Kolodziejzyk, are marrying Noel to prevent deportation, and _you,_ Mr. Miller, agreed to the plan so that Cody would produce the songs that you were previously too nervous to show him. There was no love at first sight. There was no love at all. You two are enemies. Your marriage is nothing but a shaky alliance built on blackmail.” He crosses his arms. “Anything to say to that?” 

Cody and Noel look at one another for a beat. 

“Well?” 

Cody opens his mouth to speak. Whether he’s gonna defend them or give up, he’ll never know, because Noel speaks first. 

“You’re right, sir. We lied.” 

_Fuck._ Time to start apartment hunting in Canada. 

“But you’re not as right as you think.” 

Cody looks up in shock. 

Mr. Sanders just laughs. “Oh really? Do tell, Mr. Miller.” 

“It wasn’t love at first sight," Noel begins, his voice bold. "We lied about that, sure. Because it took time.” Noel takes a step forward. “ _Lots_ of time. Lots of sleepless nights at the office and lots of fights and, yes, lots of venting to our friends. But that doesn’t mean what we have isn’t real. All that time we spent together hating each other was just because we were hiding how we really felt. Because we were ashamed, intimidated. And I know how that looks. I know how it sounds. It sounds like a load of shit. But it’s the truth.” He looks back at Cody and gives him a wink. “What Cody and I have is _real_. It’s weird, it’s crazy timing, and, sure, it’s not always perfect, but it’s real. And I’m hoping you’ll see that during our interview next week.” He ends his speech by pulling Cody up from his chair and wrapping his arm firmly around his waist. "You’ll see that there’s no one I’d rather be married to than him."

Mr. Sanders is speechless. “Wow. Well—ah, um, you see—” 

“Cody! Noel! Are you two in here?” Kelsey bursts through the doors and smiles wide when she sees them. “ _There_ you are! Oh, hey, Mr. Sanders!” 

“Oh, hello, Ms. Kreppel—” 

“No time to chat, I’m afraid!” Kelsey runs past him to the newlyweds and grabs their arms. “These guys gotta get going.” 

“Wh—where?” Noel says, stumbling after her. 

“I booked a honeymoon suite for these two lovebirds! The car’s outside!” She gestures out the door. “Come on, hurry! Don’t worry, I packed overnight bags for you two. Noel, here's the keys.” 

Noel takes them wordlessly and hands them to Cody. The couple hesitates in the doorway of the barn, staring at the car and freaking out over what a _honeymoon suite_ is going to look like. 

Behind them, Mr. Sanders continues stammering. “Wait! I wasn’t—we weren’t—I just want to apologize—” 

Cody, having accepted whatever madness this may bring, grins. “I feel so rude to cut our conversation short, Mr. Sanders, but it appears as though we have to go.” 

Noel smiles, too. "It appears as though we do." He puts his hand on Cody’s shoulder and starts dragging him towards the car. “A shame, truly, just awful timing…” 

“Nevertheless, it is our honeymoon, so we really should get going—” Cody yanks open the car door and shoves Noel in, who laughs as he hits the seat. 

“Exactly! Go on, guys. I'll send you the directions,” Kelsey pulls out her phone as the guests start crowding around them, waving them off. "And have fun!”

“Oh, we will!” Cody yells, leaping into the driver's seat and immediately turning the ignition.

Noel rolls down the window, waving as Cody shifts gears. “See you soon, Kels! And thanks, everybody!” 

The crowd waves and cheers as the newlyweds peel out of the parking lot. 

The second they’re on the main road and out of sight of the wedding, they burst out laughing. 

“Oh my gosh, I can’t _believe_ Kelsey and Aleena!” Cody says, laughing so hard he’s worried he’s gonna crash the car. “A honeymoon suite?! A rental car with cans tied to the back? There’s a fucking ‘just married’ sign!” 

“I have never been happier for them to interrupt us with an overly romantic activity,” Noel quips, leaning back in his seat. “Truly incredible timing. Fuck, he was onto us!” 

“Yeah, but not for long. Dude, that speech you gave back there, that was genius.” 

“Thank you, thank you very much,” Noel says in a jokingly-formal voice. “I’m getting way better at lying.” 

“We’re still gonna have to pass that interview, but, fuck, man. That fucking speech. For a second there, I thought you _were_ in love with me.” 

_Ah, shit._ Cody regrets saying it the second it leaves his lips. 

They both go silent for a moment. The energy suddenly feels charged, heavy, and Noel avoids eye contact. 

“I’m joking, of course,” Cody says eventually, his voice strangely thick and his eyes on the road. 

“No, I know,” Noel responds, looking out the window. He watches a few signs go by. “Wait. Hold up.” 

“What?” Cody says innocently, a smile creeping onto his face. 

Noel sits up straight, realizing. “This isn’t the direction to your—” 

Cody starts laughing again, and Noel leans over the seat divider, looking at the map on Cody’s phone. “You’re not actually—!” 

“Come on, man! _Look_ at that hotel. We have to go! It’ll be fun!” 

Noel laughs, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you, dude! There’s no way a honeymoon suite has two beds.” 

“Who gives a shit? This place looks nicer than any hotel I’ve ever stayed at, and that’s saying something. It has a hot tub in the freaking room. And free room service. How can they afford that?! They went all out. I mean...we don’t _have_ to go, of course—”

“No, no. You’ve convinced me.” Noel sighs low in his throat, a smile spreading across his “You’re too good at convincing me to do stupid shit, man.”

Cody smiles. “It’s one of my superpowers.” 

When Noel laughs again, Cody feels his heart swell. He grips the steering wheel tighter, and it takes all the effort in the world to focus on the pavement and not the excitement he feels growing inside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get ready for the honeymoon boyssss


	10. Chapter 10

“Hi, hello, we’re checking in to...I guess I don’t know what room,” Cody says to the lady at the front desk, Noel loitering behind him. “Our friends booked it for us.” 

She peers at them over the rims of her glasses. “Name?” 

“Cody Kolodziejzyk.” 

She types for a moment. “Hm. No Cody Kolodziejzyk. We have a Cody Miller. Room 237, the honeymoon suite. Could that be...?” She looks up, glancing in between them. 

Cody sighs and closes his eyes. “Yeah, that’d be us.” He hears Noel snickering over his shoulder. 

“Perfect. Second floor. Here’s your room key.” 

Cody takes it with a “thank you” and they hurry off to the elevator. As the door closes, he hears her call out one last thing: “Have fun.” 

Noel doesn’t seem to notice. “You know 237 is the haunted room in _The Shining_?” 

Cody chuckles. “Why do you know that?” 

He shrugs. “It’s not that weird of a thing to know. I hope our room has a ghost or two in it.” 

“What? Why?” 

“I don’t know. It would set the mood.” 

Cody chances a joke. “Yeah, sex with me is pretty haunting.” 

Noel laughs. 

~

“What. The. Fuck.” 

“No fucking way.” 

The newlyweds stand in the doorway to the room for an embarrassing amount of time. But how could they resist? This place is almost too fancy. 

“Are we in a fucking castle right now?” Noel says, laughing. “This room is twice the size of my apartment.” 

“I feel like I shouldn’t touch anything,” Cody adds. “That bed’s bigger than mine.”

Noel takes the first few steps in, kicking off his shoes in the process. “And look at that view.” 

Cody knows that Noel’s looking out the giant glass window, but Cody’s just looking at him. “I know.” 

“And these couches. And the curtains. And the—oh my gosh, the bathroom! What the fuck!” 

“What?” 

“Fancy, is all. And there’s a heart shaped jacuzzi. That’s hilarious.”

Cody shrugs, dragging his bag into the room. “Well, this _is_ the honeymoon suite.” 

“I can’t wait to lose my virginity,” Noel says jokingly. “Standing up, of course.” 

Cody chuckles, remembering his drunken words from the night before. “Yes, of course. There’s no other way.”

“It sure has been a long 30 years of waiting,” Noel continues, his back to Cody as he unpacks his luggage. He takes off his suit jacket and tosses it on the floor. “But I’m just _so_ glad I saved it for you.” 

And Cody knows he’s joking. Of _course_ he’s joking. “Oh, I am too,” he responds, adding on to the bit. There’s a nervous tinge in his voice that he didn’t intend to be there. 

Noel leaps into the bed. He lies back, sighing contentedly, and Cody watches, he can’t take his eyes off him, and Noel looks so...

Cody can’t articulate it. Or doesn’t want to articulate it. He feels himself turn red as he stands in the middle of the giant room, running his hand through his sweaty hair. He was so confident when driving here, but now, looking at Noel, he feels like a teenager. 

“What do you wanna do, then?” Noel says, settling into the mattress putting his hands behind his head. He stares at Cody expectantly. 

What does he want to do? Is Noel serious? Why does he look so serious? Why is Cody’s heart beating faster? Why is Noel so… _pretty_ , lying there in a dress shirt and an untied bow tie and a single silver earring, staring at Cody with big, big eyes like he knows _exactly_ what he’s doing to him? 

“What do you wanna…? What do you, um…” Cody begins stammering, loosening his collar and staring at the ceiling. “Do you mean, like...I mean, you’re not saying—” 

Noel laughs, throwing his head back. “No, I don’t mean sex! I mean, do you want to order room service or watch TV or—” 

“Oh! Oh. Okay.” Cody tries to laugh his nervousness off, rubbing his arms up and down and shifting where he stands. “Okay. Sorry. It’s just, we were talking about—I mean, _joking_ about, I knew we were just—”

“I get it,” Noel says, still chuckling. “It’s all good, man.” 

“Okay. Yeah. Sorry.” 

“I mean…” Noel sighs, taking off his bow tie and dropping it on the ground. Cody watches the garment fall before letting his eyes trail up to Noel, who’s grinning at him. “It _is_ my wedding night, though. Maybe I want the full experience. We should _at least_ make out.” 

Cody stares at him, clears his throat, tries to convince himself this isn’t real. 

“I’m kidding, of course,” Noel clarifies after seeing his face, realizing he can’t read the sarcasm. “I don’t actually—” 

“I’d do it,” Cody blurts. 

Noel blinks. “What?” 

Cody closes his eyes. “Don’t make me say it again.”

“You’d—” Noel’s eyes go wide with the realization. “ _Oh_.”

“If—I mean, if you want…fuck. I just—” Cody blushes. He feels himself unraveling. “Like, if you’re saying that you...if you’re asking—” 

“No, don’t worry,” Noel says quickly, sitting up. “I’m not asking. You don’t have to—” 

“No, I know I don’t _have_ to. I’m _saying_...fuck.” Cody groans, frustrated with himself. “I just can’t figure out how to articulate this.” 

Noel thinks he knows but Cody’s trying to tell him, but he can’t be sure. He smiles, all teeth. “Take your time, Codes. We got all night.” 

“I’m mean...like, I’m _saying_ that I...that I want to.” Cody lets out a breath and looks at the ceiling. _Fuck._

“ _Now_ we’re getting somewhere. This is progress!” Noel laughs darkly, still staring. 

Cody groans. “Oh, come on, man, don’t make fun of me—” 

“I’m not making fun of you,” Noel interrupts. Almost imperceptibly, he undoes the top button of his shirt. “There’s nothing to make fun of.” 

Cody picks up his bag quickly, embarrassed. How is he always so _stupid?_ “I’m really sorry I made this weird. I read the situation wrong. I’ll just go. You can stay here—” 

Noel stands up. “Don’t be ridiculous, Cody.” 

Cody zips his bag shut and starts rushing towards the door. “No, really. I shouldn’t have said anything—” 

Noel follows him. “Cody.” 

“I’ll just see you at work next week—” 

“ _Cody._ ” 

Cody’s hand hesitates at the doorknob. He feels Noel’s breath on the back of his neck “What?” 

“It’s okay.” 

“Noel—” 

“Turn around.” 

Cody clenches his outstretched hand into a fist and closes his eyes. “You don’t have to do this.” 

“I know. I’m doing it because I want to.” 

_Oh._ Cody, still frozen at the door, takes a second to think. In the next second, he drops his bag onto the floor. Noel chuckles as Cody slowly turns to face him, cheeks flushed. 

“Hey,” Noel says softly, his hands in his pockets. 

Cody laughs a little, resisting the urge to fix Noel’s collar. “Hey.” 

“You good?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” 

Noel smiles. “Can I kiss you?” 

Cody’s sigh borderlines a moan. “Fuck, yes.” 

~

Noel takes the lead. He closes the gap between them in one intrinsic motion, and Cody steps back from the force, his back hitting the door. He’s surprised, for some reason. Surprised like he didn’t just agree to this. Surprised that Noel wants it, too. Surprised that there’s no clinking glasses or cheering crowd - it’s just them, alone, and they want it. 

Cody matches Noel’s energy soon enough, panting into the kiss and wrapping his arms around him. Noel feels Cody’s hands shakily make their way to his shirt buttons, and Noel focuses on the feeling of Cody’s delicate fingers on his chest for a moment before spinning them around, maneuvering him towards the bed. 

When Cody feels the mattress against the back of his knees, he immediately falls onto it, pulling Noel on top of him. Noel smiles into the kiss now, briefly pausing to shrug his shirt off his shoulders. Cody pulls back to look for a moment, running his hands over Noel’s skin. 

“Wow,” he says simply. 

Noel laughs. “Your turn.” 

“You’re bossing me around now?” Cody says, smiling. 

“You like it,” Noel responds knowingly, and Cody says nothing. He just grabs him by the back of his neck and pulls him in again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter ahaha 😗✌️


	11. Chapter 11

When Cody wakes up the next morning, he recalls deftly that this isn’t the first time he’s woken up in Noel’s arms. 

It’s different this time, of course. Because it’s on purpose. They’re not a tangle of limbs under the sheets because of some happy accident - they meant to end up this way. 

It’s late. 9am. Well, late for Cody, at least. He hasn’t slept in for what feels like forever. He hasn’t had a day off of work in years. And yet, here he is.

And he feels…

_Guilty._

Guilty? Why guilty? 

He racks his brain for the answer. 

He shouldn’t feel guilty. There’s no reason to. Noel wanted to. He wanted to. They felt something. It was real. 

Right? 

_No._

No, it couldn’t have been real. Noel was caught in the spur of the moment. He doesn’t love Cody. He can’t. Cody made him do this. He made him get married for his own selfish reasons. He stole Noel for himself for some self-serving purpose, and Noel knows this. He’s doing what he has to do to keep his job and get a record deal. 

This isn’t real. Noel doesn’t love Cody. Noel loves Evonne. And Cody’s a dick for keeping them apart. 

Whether or not Cody’s paranoid thoughts are correct, he believes them. Because there’s no way Noel would ever pick him. _No one_ wants him. No one, especially Noel.

By the time Noel wakes up, Cody’s already gone. 

~

“Come on, come on, pick up…” Noel mumbles into the receiver, sitting up in bed and chewing his fingernails. He doesn’t know how long Cody’s been gone, or why, really. All he knows is that he woke up to an empty room and that Cody’s suitcase and everything else he brought has left with him. 

Cody doesn’t answer. It goes straight to voicemail. Noel curses aloud, waiting for the beep. 

“Codes, it’s Noel. Where are you? Why did you leave? I hope I didn’t...look, if what happened last night is freaking you out, just know that I would never…I’m just confused, because at the wedding, I really started to realize I...fuck. I don’t know what to say. Just call me back.” He ends the call and groans in frustration. 

This can’t be happening again. This _always_ happens to Noel. He comes on too strong, he lets himself be vulnerable, and in the morning, they’re gone, only coming back for one thing. 

After a few minutes of nervous pacing, he notices a note by the door. It’s Cody’s handwriting, he’d recognize it anywhere. 

_I’m sorry I forced you into this. It was wrong. I’ll make sure Mr. Sanders knows that none of this is your fault. Call Evonne. - Cody._

Noel stares at it for a moment in disbelief. 

In the next moment, he’s packing his bags and throwing on clothes. 

Where would Cody have gone? His apartment? No, he would expect Noel to follow him there. Too risky. He’d go somewhere else. Would he go straight to the immigration offices? Not likely. He would want to avoid confrontation if he was really going to turn them in. Plus, he would never walk into that place dressed in the clothes he had packed. Honestly, now that Noel is thinking about it, he realizes Cody probably took a pit stop somewhere. To collect his thoughts or drown his sorrows. Where would he go to do that? 

Oh. Of course. 

Noel swings open the hotel door and dashes down the hall, not even stopping to zip up his fly. 

~

“You feeling alright, Cody?” 

“Yeah, Johnny. I’m just...tired, that’s all.” 

“Big night, last night, eh?” The bartender raises his eyebrows suggestively. “That would explain the attire, at least.” 

Cody groans and looks down at his rumpled dress shirt and pants. “Yeah, well—kind of hard to explain, actually.” 

“I get it. Listen, why don’t you take this—” he slides a colorful drink with a yellow straw towards Cody. “On the house.” 

Cody stares. “What is that?” 

Johnny shrugs. “I’m honestly not sure.” He looks around the empty bar. “No one ever comes here in the morning, so I was just experimenting.”

“Is there…” Cody sniffs it. “Alcohol in this? Johnny, it’s 10am.” 

“I can take it back—” 

“No, no,” Cody backtracks, reconsidering. “I’ll drink it. I need it, honestly.” He sighs, stirring it with the straw. “Could I actually get some privacy, for a sec? I need to make a phone call. A really shitty phone call.” 

“Sure, dude. Just let me know if you need anything else.” He gives Cody one last sympathetic smile before retreating into the back room. 

The second he’s gone, Cody pulls out his phone. He has a ton of congratulations texts and emails from distant work associates, which he ignores. He sifts through his contacts before selecting _Sanders_ , but he hesitates before hitting call. Because, fuck. This is probably the hardest thing Cody’s ever done. 

But he has to do it. If he really loves Noel, and he really does, he needs to do it. 

Cody’s a second away from hitting the button when he hears him. 

“Hey.” 

Cody freezes up. He doesn’t turn around right away, though. He just can’t. 

“How did you find me?” He says flatly, pretending he doesn’t care, which he does. 

“I know you, man.” Noel looks around. “‘The Friendly Hog.’ Wouldn’t forget a name like that.” 

“You think you know me.” He sniffs. “You don’t.” 

“I do,” Noel responds gently. “For one, I know that you don’t want to do this. You don’t want to call him, Cody.” 

Cody feels angry tears welling in his eyes, and he spins around to face him. “Of fucking _course_ I don’t want to do this, Noel. Of _course_ I want to pretend you love me and pretend we’re happy husbands and pretend this is real, but it isn’t. I’m not doing this for me, Noel, I’m doing it for you. You don’t deserve this and I...I don’t deserve you.” 

“Cody—” 

“You can’t convince me. My mind’s made up. You’re just doing this for the record deal.” 

“ _Cody,_ ” Noel says firmly, grabbing him by the shoulders now and forcing eye contact. “I mean this from the bottom of my heart: fuck the record deal.”

Cody rolls his eyes, mostly to keep himself from crying. “You don’t have to pretend anymore. You don’t have to lie.” 

“You’ve seen me lie, Cody. I’m fuckin’ terrible at it.” 

“But last night at the wedding—”

“I wasn’t lying.” 

Cody doesn’t let himself believe it. “There’s no way you—” 

“It took time,” Noel interrupts. “It took a lot of time and it took a trip to your apartment and it took sharing a bed and getting married, but it happened, Cody. I fell.”

Cody shuts his eyes. “Noel, I’m telling you that you don’t have to do this.” 

“How many times do I have to say this?” He’s frustrated, but he smiles, soft and exhausted. “I’m not doing it because I have to. Not anymore. I’m doing it because I want to.”

And Cody doesn’t know what to say to that. 

For a moment, at least. “No, you aren’t.”

“Yes, I am.” 

“See, the thing is,” Cody begins, not looking at Noel because he just can’t. “There’s a reason why I've been alone all this time. I'm comfortable that way. And this is too weird, Noel. Even if you did like me, even if this was real, it’s gone too far already. We’re _married._ We never even got the chance to date. I just think it would just be a lot easier if we just...gave up.” 

“You’re right,” Noel says simply. “It would be easier.” 

Cody goes for his phone. “So let me just call—” 

Before he can turn his head, Noel’s steady hands are on his face, holding him there. “It would be easier. But that doesn’t mean I wanna do it.” 

Cody is silent. 

“Let’s stay married, Cody.” He smiles, rubs a circle into his skin. “Let’s stay married so I can date you.” 

Cody chuckles despite himself, and he feels himself shifting closer. Noel’s breath is hot against his skin. 

“Would you like that?” Noel says, lazily blinking. 

Cody looks at his lips. “Ah—er, well—” 

“Don’t lie.” 

Cody considers lying. Because Noel wants him to lie, right? Noel wants this to end. 

That felt like the right answer before. But now, even the thought that Noel doesn’t want it seems stupid. Because _look_ at him. He is staring at Cody like this is real. Like he loves him. And Cody’s starting to realize, this _just might_ be real. 

“I—I would like that,” Cody says finally, the confession feeling so _right_ the second it hits the air. 

Noel smiles, looking relieved. “Good.” 

Cody clears his throat. “So, um, does this mean—er—” 

“Cody, do you want to go out with me?” 

Cody laughs, because this whole thing is still ridiculous. “Yes, husband. I would love to be your boyfriend.” 

Noel’s laughs, but not for long - Cody cuts him off by leaning in.

They kiss like they’re not in a grimey bar in the middle of nowhere. They kiss like they’ve been together for years and they kiss like they’ve just met. They kiss like a couple that knows what they have is real. It’s everything, all at once, and they feel like they’re drowning in it. 

“Hey, Cody, I just burnt some mozzarella sticks, do you want—whoops!” Johnny drops his plate at the sight. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t—“

“It’s fine, Johnny,” Cody laughs, still holding on to Noel’s forearm. “This is Noel, my—“ He hesitates. 

“Husband,” Noel finishes for him. He shakes Johnny’s hand, whose mouth is still agape. “ _It’s just easier,_ ” he whispers to Cody with a smile. 

“Husband! Wow. Nice to meet you. You want some mozzarella sticks?” He looks down at the appetizers on the ground. “They’re a little burnt. Actually, wait, I’ll make some new ones, on the house—“ He rushes off. 

“So, husband,” Cody says the second they’re alone again. He pulls Noel in to talk just an inch from his face, because he can. “Where do you want to go for our first date?”

Noel’s laughter is music to his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that wraps up the story, but I may or may not write an epilogue wherein they’re answering questions in the immigration offices very similar to the end credits of The Proposal movie! Also, I control the canon of this universe, so let me just say cody DOES release noel's songs and noel becomes super famous hoorayyyy!! Thank you so much for reading!:)

**Author's Note:**

> please leave comments, kudos, credit card numbers, etc, but especially comments:)


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